Wolf's Heart
by Renadavi
Summary: In an alternate universe, the large countries of Aries, Artai, Windbloom, and Zipang live an easy peace. Shizuru serves as an overworked knight in Artai's military and returns home, expecting to relax. Instead, she finds work thrown on her once again and this time she's thrown to the mercy of wolves. She'll need to get along or get eaten trying.
1. Thrown to the Wolves

**_A/N:_** _Helloo, so this is my first fic on here. Taking this slowly, so no immediate romance between Shizuru and Natsuki. This universe will be a large pangea with the major countries being Aries, Artai, Windbloom, and Zipang. I am a fan of fantasy and imagined the world as such in my head with elements of magic, monsters and more in it. There will be tons of characters from anime, if not all of them, and I will try my best to portray them well!_

 ** _**A/N 3-29-2016:_** _I am making edits from the beginning. It won't change the story, but stuff has been added to the story. I also wanted to go back and fix things up and strengthen a few paragraphs._

 **Chapter 1: Thrown to the Wolves**

* * *

 _The fire flickered from across the way and the flame's orange glow was the only light illuminating the room. I squinted my eyes, struggling to see his face. From this angle, shadows only covered the contours of his cheekbones and hid the deceit his eyes possessed._

 _A deep, drawly voice spoke as the tapping of boots began against the hardwood floor. "It's been so long, but do you remember?"_

 _I lowered my head with a nod, "Yes."_

 _"Can you say it?" The sound of the boots circled around the table and around me. I felt him lingering over my shoulder, eyes piercing through the back of my head, and urging me to answer._

 _Lifting my head, I nodded once more. I parted my lips and resolutely spoke the words engraved in my memory since childhood, "As a knight of the King's Chosen I am loyal and fierce. Nothing bends my will and I shall pledge myself to my country and Her King. In both body and soul I shall serve Her until death. And death shall await, should I betray Her, for treason is the greatest crime. This I swear."_

* * *

Clear and beautiful skies hung over the Kingdom of Artai as Shizuru gently swung open the balcony door and stepped out onto it. She delicately held the edges of a glass of wine and took a sip, appreciating the warmth of the alcohol. Taking in the beauty of spring over the country, Shizuru listened to the returning birds sing and fly about. The snow had melted, revealing the green grass, the flowers waiting to bloom, and the trees who long awaited to feel the sun's rays touch its leaves. So much life and energy. The scene of the kingdom below matched spring's revitalization after such a long, freezing, dull winter. The far northlands of Artai were unforgiving, but still the people managed to prosper. Merchants bellowed in the markets far off, church bells rung at the mark of the hour, and children ran about the streets, shouting and enjoying the wonderful weather.

She let out a content sigh when a light breeze kissed her face, blowing her chestnut locks around in the wind. Although the sun was warm, the breeze, however, still had a slight chill to it. "Not yet, I suppose." Shizuru closed her crimson eyes with a shiver and crossed her arms over her chest. She missed summer's warmth more than anything and just hoped it would return soon. Perhaps it was nothing compared to the warmth of Zipang or Windbloom far to the south, but she would appreciate what little Artai could offer. She loved the warmth for the comfort that made her forget all her stress from work; like a warm bath or the arms of a lover.

Another chilly breeze swept through and Shizuru instantly returned to her quarters, shutting the balcony doors behind her. Rubbing her exposed arms from the sleeveless tunic, she downed the last drop of wine, the warm alcohol returning heat through her body. With another sigh, she set down the glass and seated herself at the table, "I should really take this time to relax…" she said to herself while rubbing a shoulder. All winter, for three months, she had accompanied her unit. They made rounds through various military posts around Artai's borders, inspecting them, and slaying Orphans—corrupt monsters—around the harsh tundra so their numbers would not increase and overwhelm small towns and villages outside the capital. It was a truly backbreaking task. Such was the Royal Knight's task—as Captain Yuuichi's lieutenant no less. "Hn, twenty-seven this year, I feel so old…"

The knight peered out the window once more. She had always been outside year-round because of her duties. She never knew a day without the sun or the moon; or without sweat and sore muscles. Now that she thought about it, she never got to stop to admire her surroundings, never truly had time to slow down. It was always work, work, work, for the lieutenant, soon-to-be-promoted to captain.

She figured her upcoming promotion might be the cause of her recent workload. Captain Yuuichi, no matter his denials and protest, thrived challenging his best soldiers. With such challenges, young squires without the heart to handle pressure avoided catching his attention and becoming one of his favorites. Shizuru never intended to make his list of favorites. She only did what she had to do without question and she intended to continue to do so. Shizuru stretched her tense arms, "Maybe I'll be able to take a few weeks off now that I'm back." She figured she would just wander the streets. Yeah, that sounded nice.

 _Knock, knock_

Shizuru turned her head towards the door. Her hopes for a vacation were dashed at the sound of those knocks at her doorway. She stood up and straightened out her tunic, composing herself before walking up to the door and opening it with a smile, "Ara, Yukino-san, it has certainly been a while. It's great to see you again!" Shizuru greeted the shorter woman and urged her to come in. She led her to the small table, "Perhaps to catch up? Can I pour you tea or wine?"

Yukino's timid eyes were hidden behind spectacles. She appeared rather awkward, even guilty, and averted her gaze. While in normal circumstances she would love a social visit with her friend, Yukino shook her head, hardly disturbing her short and messy red-brown hair, "No thank you, no tea… Well, how should I say this…" She trailed off, trying to arrange her words. Shizuru just looked at her with a smile, patiently waiting, "Captain Yuuichi—" A thunderous cry down the hall cut Yukino off, seeming to get louder.

"FUJINOOOOOOOOOO!"

Shizuru and Yukino flinched at the volume of the tumultuous voice. They immediately knew it was Haruka. The blonde was sprinting through the hallway at top speed, all while pushing away poor soldiers and squires that frantically stopped to salute her. The tall, muscular woman appeared like a bull rampaging through the corridor, gradually slowing to a halt as she neared Shizuru's quarters. Shizuru, still not prepared, winced and covered her ears as Haruka burst through the cracked doors, "Fujino!" She shouted again. However, fatigued, she bent over and caught her breath.

"Ara, Haruka-san is everything alright?" Shizuru asked, attempting to appear unbothered.

The blonde inhaled deeply and took a few heavy steps towards Shizuru. She grabbed the front of Shizuru's tunic while taking special care not to lift her off her feet, having more than enough potential to do so, "Fujino! Pack! Now! Leave while you can!" She yelled in her face with the eyes of a complete madwoman.

Shizuru could not help but cast a confused glance to the side towards Yukino. Knowing Haruka, her outburst was a clear overreaction to something she was told. And knowing Yukino as Haruka's best friend, she knew the cause of her outburst, "Haruka-chan, calm down…" Yukino pleaded, pulling on the cape attached to Haruka's heavy plated armor.

The brunette, behind Haruka's incessant rambling and Yukino's urges for her to calm down, just smiled and calmly asked, "Ara, can you please calmly explain what is happening?"

Pushing up her glasses, Yukino looked at the ground and explained, "Captain Yuuichi would like to see you in his study."

The brunette let out something between a sigh and a whine, "Where am I going to now?"

"Your death, that's what!" Haruka bellowed.

Shizuru lifted a brow, "Isn't that all the time? The danger of death is no stranger to any of us."

"No, idiot! This is worse!"

"I don't quite like the idea either, but it's really not for us to decide Haruka-chan…." Yukino said quietly. Clearly, she was worried about what awaited Shizuru, but the young woman did well to suppress the shaking brought about by her concern. Her voice amazingly sounded as timid and soft-spoken as usual, "The Captain wished to inform you himself, so you should see him as soon as possible."

Shizuru wasted no time preparing to meet the captain. Haruka and Yukino waited for her in the hallway as she fixed up her ruffled clothes and pulled a longer shirt over the sleeveless tunic. Only after tying a purple sash around her waist and slipping on boots did she leave her quarters and join her companions, "Let's go. " She sighed with a wave of her hand. Very lazily, she turned around and marched down the halls with Haruka and Yukino by her side.

* * *

"Ara, really?" Shizuru questioned, her eyes wide in disbelief. She disliked having to make the captain repeat himself, but she was beginning to agree with Haruka's opinion that it was outright insanity.

With a sigh, Yuuichi nodded, "Yes, really." He sat behind a large desk with papers scattered all over its surface and looked up at the women. "I'm sorry Fujino, but there was nothing I could do about it. Trust me, I would rather have your help here—you may even accomplish more here than there. However, the King _insisted_ that you and only you take this task. The only thing I can do for you is pray and wish you luck."

"But Tate," Haruka started, able to address the Captain as her equal.

"It's fine, Haruka." Shizuru cut her off. Haruka opened her mouth to say something until Yukino lightly tugged at her cape and gave her a small smile. She quietly gave in and just stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the wall, and listening intently. Shizuru sat herself down in front of the desk. She held a hand over her mouth and took a deep breath, "Please tell me again. In detail."

"Very well…"

Tate, without a care, brushed off the books and papers on the desk. Everything fell to the floor with a thud to reveal a map of the continent on the desk's surface. He pointed at the northernmost tip, "We all know Artai is up here. What you will be doing is traveling down southeast to the Kagean forest." He moved his finger and slid it down to a large portion of green forest, marked with a mountain range, "And don't let the map fool you. It looks small, but it's the largest forest in the world. Filled with all sorts of plants and animals… Orphans."

"I know the classroom version of the forest as much as the common person, captain."

He laughed, "Of course you do. If not more than the common person actually. I was told you survived there for a few weeks. That is likely why His Majesty chose you."

Shizuru grew quiet, "That was many years ago." Tate grew silent as well, feeling he touched delved into territory that would be best left undisturbed. However, the brunette observed the map of the forest without losing her focus on the discussion and realized something, "Ara, it's incomplete."

Tate blinked and nodded, "Oh… yeah, many explorers have tried to complete mapping out the area, but they all came back scared shitless with their findings missing. A few have gone missing."

"What is it that His Majesty wants me to do?" Shizuru tilted her head.

"Several tribes live there,"

"I remember that, but I don't see what's so dangerous about people living in a forest,"

"You don't remember that part of class, do you? Or were you never told?" He lifted a brow, "These people are—"

"Mutts. Mongrels. Monsters." Haruka interrupted.

"Haruka-chan, that's racist…" Yukino whispered. She had to wonder if it was the correct term, though.

"What?" The blonde whispered back, "It's true, isn't it?"

Yukino rubbed her temples, "Let's just go wait outside." She dragged the reluctant Captain out the door.

Shizuru and Tate stopped until the two women were out of the room and continued. "Anyways… shapeshifters. Most of the tribes primarily descendent from wolves. So in other words… werewolves. Without a curse. And there are other types, but we don't know much about them at all." Tate sat back down and leaned back in his chair.

"Ara…"

He brought a hand up and rested his chin in his palm. "There used to be a route running through that forest that saved a lot of traveling time for merchants, soldiers, and travelers. It was a fragile peace and the deal let us humans pass through without any issue at all until an incident sixty years ago caused the natives to cast the entire forest as off limits. Those that do decide to brave through either return unconscious with no memory of what happened or never come back at all."

"What could have happened to make them sever connections?" Shizuru asked.

Tate shook his head, "I don't know to be honest."

"I do believe knowing the cause would be most useful if I am being sent to make peace."

"Yes, I agree. Like you and any other folk who attended school, I was told the incident is taboo to speak about. Upon being told about this task, I tried to research the area, but Yukino said the castle holds no records of what happened." He paused briefly and continued, "His Majesty wants to suggest restoring connections with them so that the routes can open again. This passing winter Artai has suffered economically; sea travel is long and expensive and we cannot survive much longer being geographically isolated."

"It makes plenty sense." Shizuru nodded, hand under her chin, "Go on."

"He believes plenty of time has passed to ask for peace. The werewolves have thousands of years ahead of them and His Majesty does not; he's getting old. It'll be difficult if a new ruler decides against peace talks." The captain leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, "There are no clear instructions we can give you, it's a purely independent task. Also knowing you thrive in handling situations alone, we wholly trust that you can do this. How you go about this is in your hands, lieutenant." The captain reached under to open a desk drawer and pulled out a smaller copy of the map. He handed it to Shizuru.

Shizuru took it in her hands and asked, "The latest I can leave?"

"Tomorrow."

She sighed, "I'll leave at noon today." Shizuru then stood up and smiled with all the enthusiasm she could muster, "On the bright side, this may be fun. Like a camping trip, only with werewolves. I may be able to have my vacation after all," She chuckled.

The captain shook his head, chuckling along with a grin, "Fun? Well, don't get eaten and return home safely, eh?"

"I surely will, Yuuichi-san." Shizuru smiled. She bowed and turned to leave.

"Wait, Fujino. I almost forgot," She turned back and awaited her superior to continue speaking. Yuuichi placed a piece of paper on the desk with a loud thud, "This… is your second objective." He tapped a finger on the parchment, face turning from soft to grave. Shizuru stepped closer to look at the ink scribbled on the paper. The brunette's crimson eyes widened.

"Ara… that's… It's more complicated now."

* * *

Shizuru used the next few hours to prepare for a few days' ride towards the Kagean Forest. Only two of those hours were spent packing and planning her route. The rest of her time, she took advantage of filling up her belly with food and water, as well as resting so half of her ride to the next town would not be plagued with urges to stop on the side of the road for a nap.

Only a quarter past noon Shizuru was already on the path towards the castle stables to finalize her departure. A bag containing extra clothes, a few survival necessities like a knife and sewing kit hung over her shoulder. Strapped to her back was one of her many naginata, a specialized polearm weapon. A hardened sheath covered the long blade, curved at the tip, at the end of the staff. Shizuru personally disliked the idea of bringing a weapon to a peace talk, but her own survival against Orphans along the way was a necessity as much as the other few items she lugged over her shoulder.

She opened the stable gate and locked it securely behind her, instantly met with the sight of the beautiful horses inside the barn. Shizuru walked a few paces down the hay-covered walkway and stopped when she saw a black shire horse with white stockings to her left, "Afternoon George," she sung. Her stable horse whinnied in response, his ears pointed towards the sound of her voice, listening attentively. Shizuru stepped inside his pen and gave him a pat and treat, "It looks like we'll be leaving home for a while." She told him. The knight proceeded to saddle the horse and secure her bag and sleeping roll along with it.

Once done, Shizuru took the reins in hand and guided George outside of the barn where she placed a foot in the stirrup and mounted the saddle. The knight settled herself and adjusted her vest. While in her quarters, Shizuru changed from regular attire to a white tunic and light leather armor that had seen its share of sights and travel. She knew regular armor would look too menacing and would only be a burden to wear. Shizuru knew with the extended time she would likely spend in the Kagean Forest that it would also be best to favor comfort.

She understood Haruka's worries about it being a suicide mission. Artai had been out of contact with the Kagean forest for sixty years. They knew nothing of it and its natives. The only sure fact they could confirm was that Orphans infested the forest, adding to its lethality and unpredictability. However, the knight did not concern herself, nor was she afraid of spending time with the wolves, the monsters, or leaving anyone behind as she had no family. Perhaps the only concern was leaving behind the few friends she possessed. Regardless, it was a task given to her and a task Shizuru was prepared for, whether the result be success or failure.

Just as Shizuru urged her horse forward, someone tapped her on the arm. The knight pulled back gently on the reins, asking George to stop in his tracks. She looked down to see Yukino, accompanied by a displeased looking Haruka. She gave a smile, "Yes?"

"Thought you could leave without saying farewell as usual?" Haruka huffed and crossed her arms.

Yukino smiled. She had a large hawk with peculiar blue eyes perched on her forearm, "We just wanted to say good luck Fujino-san. And also please, take Diana with you to keep in contact." Yukino began, "She'll always be able to find her way between us." She held her arm out to Shizuru, allowing Diana to perch herself on a part of the saddle behind her.

Running a hand down the feathered back, Shizuru gave Yukino another smile, "I'll take care of her."

Haruka tapped her foot furiously next to Yukino, arms crossed and vainly pretending not to care, but worry plastered her face. She glanced at Shizuru several times before asking, "Are you sure about this?"

"I'll be fine. I'm sure those people are just misunderstood and actually friendly!" She assumed optimistically, clasping her hands together.

"Friendly my ass!" Haruka thundered, "The King's a little out of his rocker thinking those beasts would let go of a grudge so easily! Sixty years must feel like one to them," Haruka hissed aggressively, making a 'loco' gesture with her finger when she talked about the King.

"Haruka, you shouldn't speak about His Majesty like that…" Yukino muttered.

Trying not to prolong the farewell, Shizuru had to interrupt, "Well, I'm off to have fun with the wolves! I'll keep in touch Yukino, Haruka." She said her goodbye and smiled at her two friends as she guided George to face the palace gates.

Yukino managed a smile and waved, "Take care, Fujino-san."

The knight began to slowly depart out of the palace courtyard and to the gate. Haruka was shaking, feeling a weight press down on her as the sound of the horse's footsteps grew further. She itched to let something out. The blonde ran after the horse and stopped short, "Oi, Fujino!"

Shizuru stopped and looked back.

"Don't get your ass eaten while you're having your 'fun'!" Haruka hollered, "I'd hate to find your half-eaten corpse when we still have a score to settle, so you better stay alive, you hear me!"

"Ara, that's the same thing Yuuichi-san said to me." Shizuru smirked at her rival, "I promise I won't get eaten. I'll even bring back some friends!" She waved and turned back around to leave the palace grounds and eventually Artai. She would have a long way to go.


	2. Rein

**Chapter 2: Rein**

 _We ran faster and faster, fighting against the mountain's incline. Each breath I drew grew heavier as the air grew thinner, but the girl in front of me showed no signs of tiring. Although I lagged behind and could not see her face, her voice told me of the smile crossing her beautiful face, "Hurry, hurry! We're almost to the top!" she exclaimed._

 _"_ _Wait up!" I struggled for breath and used the last of my energy to sprint to her side as we reached the top of the peak, "Remember I'm not as fast as you!" I leaned over and put my hands on my knees._

 _She placed a hand on my back, her touch warm, comforting. She looked down with eyes that made my heart skip, face flush, and mind race in way no other woman has before, "Don't worry about that, do you see that?" She pointed beyond the edges of the peak._

 _I looked up and paused, mouth hanging ajar, "Oh wow…" The sunrise covered the forested valley at the foot of the mountain, bathing everything in an orange glow. My love wrapped an arm around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder. I held her close._

 _With a soft whisper she spoke, "It may be hard now, but know when you reach this point, this peak, you'll find some happiness and peace." She began, speaking of more than just our journey to the top, "And when you continue forward to the new valley ahead, you'll leave this old one behind."_

 _I thought about her words, looked down, and smiled, "Can we go through the new valley together? Like we did before…?"_

* * *

"Now, now, you two behave." The knight spoke to Diana and George that gave a low series of chirps and whinnies. She dismounted the large shire at the tavern stables and made sure to secure him, as well as ensure they were comfortable. The two animals seemed to get along famously, making the last four-day's ride to the forest easy. Diana was rather low maintenance. She never flew too far and seemed to care well for herself. Usually the only time the bird left was to hunt for food, returning promptly upon a successful hunt. Shizuru was actually astounded by the intelligence of the large bird, knowing nothing about its type other than the fact mages trained them exceptionally well. She could not help feeling Diana truly understood Shizuru's every spoken word to her and George on the road.

Shizuru had just reached her fifth day of travel. She arrived in the quaint town called Rein the other night. The settlement sat right outside the edges of the Kagean Forest, making it the ideal place for Shizuru to stop, rest, and resupply. The tavern was a fair trade to camping out under the stars for the last few days. And the last town she saw was actually on her first day of setting out, just a few hours ride from the castle. Artai typically had towns spread far and wide, with clusters of settlements closest to the capital. Beyond the towns surrounding the capital, any neighbors would be miles away. Luckily, George had plenty of stamina to travel constantly. He was strong compared to the other stable horses. Although young in age, the stablemaster liked to jest and call him old because of his white stockings and long white mane and tail he possessed that contrasted with his black coat. Personally, Shizuru loved her horse companion and rather enjoyed him acting like a teasing older sibling to younger foals.

The small Artain town sat at the edge of the forest entrance. Younger trees lined the outside. A glance further, one would see the trees grow taller and taller, greater in age, until only the slightest hint of a mountaintop appeared in the horizon. Shizuru had visited the entrance when she first arrived the other night. The main road abruptly ended there. The foliage just beyond showed absolutely no remnants of a road ever existing decades ago.

The town of Rein seemed peaceful and normal despite its location, the lives of the people there seemingly unbothered. They did not even seem to have any interactions with those that lived inside the Kagean. Shizuru approached the tavern doors, returning to the tavern to fill her stomach and later regain possession of her naginata. The woman who owned the humble establishment made it a custom to stow away weapons from armed travelers; quite a common practice in many places. After all, one conversation with the charismatic woman set everyone at ease, making them willing to surrender their arms and avoid stirring up trouble.

Shizuru opened the door and the sound of chimes rang through the tavern. A few patrons glanced her way, but returned to their drinks and conversation just as quickly. The owner approached her, long curly black hair pulled in a ponytail. She wore knee high boots and donned a common dark blue dress covered in a dirty white apron. The woman did not seem much older than Shizuru and looked at her with tired gray eyes, but a kind and welcoming smile, "Ah, welcome back, soldier!" She greeted, almost practically prancing up, "Did you find what you needed out in the market?"

"Good morning, Claire-san, I found everything I needed." Shizuru returned the kindness with her own smile and sat down at a corner table. There she could see out the window and where the entrances were located, a habit of hers that would not soon fade.

"Wonderful. Is there anything I can get for you today?"

"Ara, I'd love to have what you served last night if you can." Shizuru smiled, actually rather hungry since she had not eaten all morning.

"Just one moment then, madam knight, we'll get that belly filled up." Claire placed a hand on her shoulder and walked off, presumably into the kitchen, leaving two younger girls to tend to the others.

While waiting, Shizuru looked out the window and then around the cozy two-floor tavern. A lot of love and care was obviously put into the establishment and Shizuru would not mind staying longer. She figured it would have been a wonderful place to visit had she had the chance to get a vacation. Flowers strung together decorated the outside and inside. Banners of Artai embellished the walls. The furniture was beautifully crafted, reflecting the town's main trade asset in carpentry and woodcarving. With only a few windows, a pit fire in the middle and candles provided most of the light and a pleasant scent wafted through the air. _Probably a flower since they're everywhere in here,_ Shizuru thought.

Shizuru instantly fell asleep when she arrived the other night. A mixture of her traveling fatigue and the tavern's atmosphere were responsible for perhaps one of the best nights of sleep she had in quite some time. Claire returned rather quickly with a bowl and plate and Shizuru straightened herself. "Here we go! Some homemade soup to cure that chill still in the air, fresh bread, and a selection of vegetables for you to use." She set down the items, the bowl filled with a hot, thick, delicious looking broth filled slightly with rice and slices of beef. The selection of vegetables were just leaves of mint, chopped onions, and cabbage with a small amount of ground up sauces waiting to be added to the soup. It hardly resembled the food in the palace, but Shizuru loved it even more. The places in the south always had food dramatically different from Artai's northern regions, which were predominated by venison, beef, and bread. Just before helping herself, Claire spoke, "Say, I don't often ask, but if you don't mind, what's the reason for your visit? It's not often a knight is traveling alone. Are you visiting the post here?"

Shizuru, intending to ask questions about the forest anyways, answered honestly, but vaguely, "Ara, no, the commanders actually just finished inspecting the posts for the opening of this year. I was just sent regarding the forest."

"The Kagean forest I assume?" The tavern owner tilted her head.

Shizuru nodded, "Is there anything you're able to tell me?"

Claire hummed, "I'm sorry, but I'm actually not from Artai. I grew up in Windbloom, came here ten years ago to care for my grandmother, and inherited this after her passing. I can't say I know much, but… the forest is almost foreboding when I look at it. Then again I'm easily frightened by most things," Claire waved it off with a laugh and blinked upon remembering a fact, "Ah, I don't know if it's significant, but none of Rein's lumber comes from the Kagean at all. We always import it and cut from a smaller, separate forest nearby."

Shizuru did realize from her visit that the forest seemed completely untouched, despite the amount of lumber that could be used from such a large forest, "Ara, sounds costly. I noticed a lot of carpenters here that could use the wood nearby." She rested her chin in her palm, "What about wolves?"

"Wolves? We hear wolves in the distance, but the ten years I lived here, they were never a problem." She answered. Claire turned over her shoulder and called out, "But maybe Erstin can tell you more. Erstin!"

"Yes, Claire!" Almost instantly, one of the tavern workers came running. This girl was rather tiny with shoulder-length blonde hair and light green eyes. Her garments were similar to Claire's, but the sleeves were longer and around her neck was a necklace holding a precious gold gem with a cloudy black center.

Claire grasped the young girl by both shoulders and presented her to Shizuru with a broad smile. Erstin seemed flustered and embarrassed by the sudden introduction to the stranger, but bowed nonetheless. "Erstin, this is Shizuru Fujino, a knight from the capital. She wants to know more about the Kagean forest. Think you can help her?"

"Ah, sure… I'll try my best." Erstin answered quietly as Claire went back to merrily tending to guests. The blonde seemed shy, but her eyes were fixated on Shizuru and after some time she awkwardly bowed. Shizuru stood and returned it, sitting back down afterwards, "It's nice to meet you, Fujino-san."

"Likewise, Erstin-chan." Shizuru smiled graciously. The young girl visibly blushed. Erstin thought Shizuru was very beautiful and found a certain air of elegance about her. Perhaps it was because she never met anyone from the capital? A knight no less. "Why don't you have a seat?" Shizuru smiled, patiently trying to make things as comfortable for the timid girl as possible.

"Ah, yes." Erstin quickly took a seat in front of Shizuru, looking at the food that remained untouched. The soup was still hot from the steam that rose, but she wondered if their guest was hungry at all. She was about to inquire about it until Shizuru spoke.

"How old are you, Erstin-chan? You look really young." Shizuru took a sip of tea present at the table and set it down with the best etiquette she could present.

"I'm nineteen,"

Shizuru smiled at her once again, invoking another light blush from the fascinated girl, "You seem to have grown into a wonderful young lady, Erstin-chan. And you've been living here all your life? Can you tell me about anything involving the Kagean forest? It can be anything at all be it stories, history, or personal experience."

"Uh, t—thank you. And yes, I was born here." Erstin, though taken aback by the compliment, smiled and began to speak. Despite her earlier shyness, Erstin found the brunette's voice rather calming and used it to relax. "My grandfather loved telling me stories about this town and the forest. Though it was his grandparents that told him the originals, so I don't know how true they are. I remember hearing about different tribes of people living inside and depending on their family; they could change into a certain animal. They're very protective of their home, but at one point, he told me over two hundred years ago, they shared it with us and only us."

"With a story so old and many retold versions, anything is possible, but I believe it." Shizuru commented briefly, then allowing the girl to continue.

"Yes, they would help and protect us and we would also return the favor. He said Rein wasn't a part of Artai initial, but as Artai expanded it wanted Rein's resources and took it as its own. With this town, they were able to cross through the Kagean with the tribes' permission and trade with other countries. It was someone of a golden age for the country. However, they were disrespectful compared to the people of Rein who had been their friends for many years…"

Shizuru listened carefully, seeing how it could compare with the background Yuuichi provided. She figured Artai's annexation of Rein caused more issues than solved them. They were essentially guests overstepping their bounds to the natives, guests they had no real reason to trust. "What happened to make us lose the route?"

Erstin folded her hands over each other on the tabletop and looked down, "He told me no good comes from talking about what happened from that point, but would always make up an ending to satisfy my need to know as a child." The blonde showed a small smile and peered up, "His made up ending only resulted in the natives isolating themselves once age, warding off anyone that entered, and returning to their ways before coming into contact with Rein."

Taking sips of tea as Erstin talked, Shizuru took it in and found she was not getting as many answers as she hoped, "Rein looks unbothered living so close. Surely someone has spotted them a few times?"

"Mm, no matter what happens or how much time pass, Rein does seems to be left alone. But no, no one has seen them since they disappeared." Erstin peered out the window towards the forest entrance, "It is quite a large forest after all. They can be anywhere."

"That it is." Shizuru hummed, wondering herself about the chances she would even come across someone once she entered. She then asked, perhaps too vaguely, "What about wolves?"

Erstin's eyebrows lifted, "Wolves?"

Shizuru nodded, "Claire told me she hears them all the time, but they have never been a problem." The knight started, leaning forward slightly now, "So there has never been sightings, attacks, or problem with livestock? Nothing at all?"

Erstin broke eye contact, "No, nothing at all…"

A feeling tugged at Shizuru's intuitive mind. Erstin was keeping something tucked under cover. She knew from countless experiences to never ignore the feeling, whether the situation was harmless or fatal. The girl had no problem speaking about her grandfather's stories and the town, but became visibly uncomfortable at the talk of wolves. Shizuru knew the girl had no reason to be guilty, so she pressed their conversation forward gently, "Erstin-chan." She called out. The girl looked up and was locked into the crimson eyes, "Do you want to say something? You can tell me."

The brunette's voice was calm and reassuring, easing Erstin just a bit more. "It wasn't that I didn't want to tell you. Everyone knows what happened here so it's not a secret Fujino-san." Erstin told her, "A few years ago I did see the wolves up close, but a few details are pretty blurry. I suppose I was bored one day. I was walking and looked past the trees, then got curious what it would look like inside. I never meant to go too far, but next thing I knew I was lost." As Erstin explained, she sounded as if she believed she did wrong from entering the forest and getting lost. Shizuru felt it an irrational thing for the girl to blame herself to something she could not help, "My family said I was lost for just three days, but I don't remember much. I remember getting hurt, but I don't recall how. Then I remember seeing several wolves circling me, but that's all… Next I woke up, I was home. Someone then found me at the entrance with a deerskin blanket draped over me and my arm was treated."

Erstin cautiously looked about the tavern. Seeing no eyes fixed on them, she pulled back her right dress sleeve, revealing claw marked scars stretching from her wrist to her elbow, and a bite mark further up her arm. The young girl more than likely worried what others may think when they see the scars. From the shape and coloration of the scars, Shizuru found that it made sense for Erstin to hide them insecurely underneath the sleeves. "It looks as though it were painful." Shizuru observed its entire length, "I am sorry this happened." The scars made the original wounds seem deep, almost as if she nearly lost her arm.

Anxious that her arm was visible for so long Erstin pulled down her sleeve. She spoke again, "Whatever gave it to me, and I'm sure it was an Orphan, everyone was convince wolves were responsible. They felt this one incident made them too dangerous so they went inside to track the wolves." Erstin played with the gem at the end of her necklace, "Every single one of them went missing for two days, but always returned to the entrance unconscious, but unharmed. They were all covered with those deerskin blankets as well."

"And what does Erstin-chan think of this personally?" Shizuru found it all perplexing. She felt something beyond the wolves and tribes harmed Erstin—perhaps Orphans as the girl assumed. Anyone that wandered an area alone were already at increased risk of being attacked by the monsters compared to a wild animal. And the blankets over the townsmen, _A symbol of peace?_ Shizuru thought, resting a finger on her chin.

Erstin's light green eyes seemed to gaze out into the forest and search for something, "I thought about it over the years. I feel Rein still shares a bond with the Kagean and that we're still protected. I'm sure the people living inside are not bad and just prefer to be left alone. That is what I believe." She looked back at Shizuru, her eyes filled with the strength she possessed in her faith of her words.

Shizuru smiled at this display of confidence and rose to her feet, "Thank you, Erstin-chan." She walked over and helped the young girl up. "I cannot say I have all the answers I hoped for, but at least I know much more now. So I thank you." Shizuru kissed her hand.

Erstin reddened at the gesture, although polite, was just as foreign to her. When Shizuru let go, she bowed her head slightly to the knight, "You're welcome, Fujino-san. I'm sorry I could not help more." Shizuru just waved it off as if to say it was fine and Erstin slowly walked off, needing to get back to work. She turned around again, "Um, don't let Claire-san's soup get cold, Fujino-san. And good luck."


	3. Into the Forest

_**A/N:** This chapter is twice as long as the others. I spent all day writing and fighting distractions and it is now one in the morning. But hope you guys enjoy, thanks for reading!_

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

 _They said I don't belong here…_

 _They don't understand, they're just afraid... don't pay any mind to them._

 _But what if I really don't? Is there really any reason for me to be here?_

 _There is, love. Give them time. You're here with me._

* * *

After finishing her meal at Claire's inn, Shizuru found her and recovered the naginata she had confiscated for her stay. Taking one last sit down inside her room, the knight made sure she did not leave anything behind and bade the owner, as well as Erstin, a farewell afterwards. Exiting the tavern, Shizuru prepared George for the road and soon made her way to where the road's end met the Kagean forest's start. Approaching the entrance Diana gave a loud and nervous squawk from the perch of the knight's shoulder. Even the horse was getting a little antsy. Shizuru, too, suddenly understood the sense of foreboding that Claire had mentioned, but brushed it off merely as the stories getting to her mind. Shizuru calmed her two travel companions by whispering calming words and petting their backs. It seemed to work somewhat as they were willing to go forward, but the animals still showed some anxiety as the brunette urged them onwards.

Nearing the line, George suddenly refused. "Come, now. Everything will be all right." Shizuru sighed and then dismounted, leading George by foot, tugging gently on the reigns. He followed. With a sigh, she said to herself, "My, my, what were they thinking sending me out here. I'm not sure where to begin."

Equipped with very little information or even protection, she suddenly felt the need to unravel all the questions she had in the wake of the start of her journey and Erstin's stories. She would get answers no matter what. Shizuru actually felt somewhat excited delving into the unknown and being required to survive for the chance for two parties to reconnect. Most of all she would be doing a service to Artai if it succeeded.

A different air that Shizuru could not begin to describe filled the forest as she stepped through the invisible line. Something of a chill ran down her spine and she suddenly felt fully awake. Alert. The sound of millions of insects and the distant cries of various animals rang through the forest. She felt as though the million eyes focused on her was what both Diana and George felt long before her as she walked further, leaving Rein behind.

* * *

Navigating through the forest proved a terribly difficult task for Shizuru for a number of reasons. One; she had no clear direction. No marked trail since it disappeared decades ago. She only walked blindly through unfamiliar terrain, the limits of Yuuichi's map pushed as far as it could go. The knight figured the best thing to do was to set a good camp and move about bit by bit until contact was made. Two; it was hot. The air became much warmer since she arrived, but she was from Artai—the coldest place in the world. Although Shizuru yearned for the heat after returning home, this was not what she had in mind. The humidity was awful and the wind a blessing. She was glad she chose leather armor above metal. And three; she had no water already. The combination of heat and humidity caused her to sweat and drink more than she should have. She needed to find a stream or river soon.

Jumping off of George, Shizuru lead him by the reigns and searched for a source of water. After a few minutes, she came to an abrupt stop to prioritize something else. Finding a rock, Shizuru rested on top of it and removed her sash, leather vest, bracers, and tunic. With a knife, she cut the tunic sleeves shorter and put it back on, leaving the collar open. She slipped on the leather vest and bracers once more, but did not lace it back together and kept it open as well. She gave a sigh of relief with the improved airflow and felt much better now that her body cooled down.

George, who had been waiting, began to wander downhill, carrying the gigantic bird that lazily groomed itself on his back. Shizuru stood up, stuffed the extra sash in her bag, grabbed the naginata, and pursued them. Catching up to the horse, her ears picked up the faint sound of water roaring in the distance. Instantly, she mounted and carefully rode closer.

Moving into the clearing, the brunette saw her silly steed found themselves a river. Patting his neck, she said, "Ara, good job!" Peering to her right, Shizuru saw a waterfall nearby beyond some rock formations. It did not seem too large in particular and the waters did not flow too fast. Looking at the surface, it was crystal clear. Satisfied, she looked around to see if anyone were around, which she highly doubted there was, and made her way to the moving waters.

Shizuru knelt down and scooped up the water with her hands, taking a sip. She paused, "Hmm?" She took yet another full sip with a smile. She never thought she would taste water so… different. So clean and rich. The energy returned to her body and she forgot about the heat altogether. Shizuru loved the taste greatly and pleasured herself to a few more drinks before taking out the waterskin and submerging it in the river. Looking about, her companions seemed just as pleased and no longer anxious.

The female knight smiled and laid the waterskin beside her, taking some water and splashing it on her face to cleanse it of sweat. The cold touch reinvigorated her further and she released a content sigh.

Then her crimson eyes wandered to the waterfall. Standing and tying the waterskin on her belt, Shizuru figured she needed to go over the small hill to see if she could look down and discover anything useful. Anything like a suitable campsite to set up before nightfall or a point of interest. Shizuru understood that a tribe was more likely to find her rather than the reverse. She would not yet actively seek them out, clearly in no position to do so.

Shizuru left Diana and George as they were and made it over the rise of land, closer to the wall of rocks lining the side of the river. The formations obscured the view of the falls. The knight walked closely along, her left arm almost dragging along the wall. Halfway up, she noticed a trail. Parts of the grass were flattened and rocks displaced, but almost unnoticeable. Shizuru passed it as just some animal, but unholstered her naginata nonetheless.

"Ara…" Shizuru heard a splash in the distance as she reached the end of the rock wall at the top of the hill. Stopping at the corner, she peeked around it and her eyes widened ever so slightly.

A young woman bathed in the river falls, back turned to Shizuru. A native? Her skin was unusually light for someone who spent perhaps every day in the sun. Her eyes were closed, the ice cold water not a bother as it ran down her hardened, toned body. The young woman's wet hair was such an unusual color of dark blue that Shizuru had never seen before. She was certainly beautiful.

Shizuru's mind was blank and she came to, pulling back to the cover of the wall, _Wait… what am I doing?_ She thought, covering her face to mask a light blush. As if anyone were around to see, but Shizuru could not recall when she last saw the sight of a naked woman, "I stared too long... it's no different from peeping, now." She murmured.

The brunette was alerted by the sound of water suddenly shifting and splashing. Shizuru cautiously peered over the corner once again, but saw no woman in sight. Did she leave? No. Her hands grasped the naginata tightly as she heard growls emanating from the bottom of someone's throat nearby. Turning her face forward, the woman stood there looking unpleased, her posture hostile.

The young woman was fast, ripping the weapon out of Shizuru's hands and pinning her against the wall, giving no regard to her current nudity. Her right arm pressed against Shizuru's throat with such pressure she was gasping for breath, looking into two fierce green eyes that burned like a wildfire. Her other arm grasped Shizuru's dominant right arm and kept it firmly against the wall, lower body also pinning the knight. Her strength was incredible, not allowing Shizuru to move other than grasping the arm at her throat with her only free hand.

In a low, husky voice, the woman said, "Your kind aren't welcome here! Why are you here?!"

Shizuru could not answer. She felt lightheaded as the air coming into her lungs grew less. The pressure was loosened just enough to allow her to speak. Shizuru took a few vain breaths before speaking, but she was interrupted, "Natsuki?! Stop!" another woman called out. Shizuru felt the pressure suddenly disappear as her unknown savior threw the girl off, "Are you okay?" a soft voice asked her.

The knight keeled over, gasping for breath with a hand rubbing her throat. She looked up to see a woman with long brown hair and blue eyes, looking at her with clear concern. She only nodded, still trying to compose herself.

"Good." She smiled and turned to the one called Natsuki with a look of disapproval.

The bluenette looked away, "Tch… don't look at me like that, Aoi. You know she shouldn't be here! They're _trouble_."

"That doesn't mean kill her! What's gotten into you? Go get dressed." She ordered her, frowning. Natsuki walked off, murmuring under her breath. Then the other brunette turned back to the knight and sighed, "What are you doing here? You are lucky you only found her."

Shizuru breathed and straightened herself out, "I was sent here from Artai…."

Aoi's hospitable smile disappeared, "Artai?"

"Yes," Shizuru nodded, "Are—"

"Leave this place today." Aoi said simply. She picked up the naginata laying on the ground, stared at it for a few seconds, and handed it to Shizuru. "Like she said, you should not be here. _Don't_ make me regret giving this back."

The knight accepted the naginata in her hands and just kept her eyes on Aoi who took a few steps back after returning the weapon, "Ara… wha—"

Natsuki returned and the two natives exchanged eye contact. Their mouths did not move nor did they speak, but they seemed to understand one another more clearly than Shizuru could hope to. With one side glance towards Shizuru, they walked away and disappeared.

* * *

Despite Aoi's command to leave the forest, Shizuru of course had to disregard it and pressed deeper. The knight honestly did not expect to find natives so quickly, but was pleased nonetheless to have made some contact. Despite it being pretty harsh contact with that angry-looking girl. It was more than she started off with, however, though neither party made a great impression of the other.

After her run in, Shizuru climbed the ridge of the falls and scoped out candidates for a campsite. After some searching and knocking locations off of her list, she reached a small hill not far from a small stream. It had an alcove dug into one side. After finding the last cave inhabited, thankfully by harmless badgers, she cautiously approached the alcove. There was absolutely no sign of habitation from the absence of food, droppings, and prints. Confirming it to be abandoned, she searched the surrounding area for any hazards, signs of dangerous animals, anything. And after some time she returned to the hill, unsaddling George who thanked her with neighs and whinnies to have had the burden relieve from him, "We'll be here tonight," She smiled, petting him.

At the alcove, Shizuru cleared out some rocks and set down her things. She found a long stick in the back and, not knowing what to do with it currently, stuck it into the ground in front of the alcove. Instantly, Diana swooped down and perched on it, "Hai, you can watch from there." Shizuru told her. The large bird squawked back, head turning and scanning constantly.

The knight walked to some nearby trees and began picking up smaller sticks, placing crisp leaves in a small bag. She sighed, thinking how lonely it would eventually become being in the Kagean forest. Talking to both George and Diana only did so much. They could not speak back and the knight seriously wished she had a partner accompany her for social and convenience reasons. Her mind came back to the natives she met, trying to recall their names. _Aoi and Natsuki was it…?_ She thought as the number of sticks cradled in her arms grew. "They're quite strong. That Natsuki was aggressive… but the other, Aoi, seemed more in control." She sighed, briefly rubbing the spot on her neck. She was not sure what to make of what the people of the forest were like—if they were more like Natsuki, or as calm as Aoi, "My, I suppose they are just like people. Individuals in their own right."

Shizuru soon managed to create a small fire by digging a small hole, lining the outer edge with stones, and using the tinder she gathered. She sat in front of it, her naginata on her lap and food in hand. She kept a watchful eye out as she ate, having nothing else to do but think.

A sigh escaped her, realizing the stress that would inevitably build up. Currently, she was fine, but living in the forest without knowing when she'd leave and going through each day on edge was sure to build up tension. It was like in training where she was forced to run without knowing where or when to stop—playing with the mind and draining the body. The brunette had no family and was actually accustomed to the loneliness until she made friends like Haruka and Yukino. Though seen as perfect and composed by many people, Shizuru was only human. She got hurt the same way and needed the same things. She needed to protect her mental wellbeing, she thought.

She pulled out Yuuichi's map. The uncharted forest was slowly being filled by the knight's pen, landmarks she remember being marked on the map. Remembering the waterfall of her early confrontation, Shizuru traced a line from her campsite, there, and the path she took to get to town. Putting the map to the side, Shizuru finished off her food, "If I ever lose myself, I shall return to Rein and continue from there…" A low howl rang in the distance, soon joined by others—something she would have to get accustom to. She folded her hands in her lap and stared out.

The sun was beginning to set.

What the king wanted her to do was a difficult, but not impossible task to do. He only wanted to make a proposition of peace with them. That did not mean yes needed to be the answer, right? Yes, that was right. In a way, Shizuru felt like a mere messenger, risking her life delivering a letter. She looked at the map by her side and opened a leather tube containing a copy of the King's orders, reading over it. _Still… there was that other objective to accomplish._ That, she felt, would require most time even after getting the answer to the proposition.

Placing all the items back into the parchment tube and tying it back on her belt, Shizuru said quietly to herself, "I must find Aoi-san and Natsuki-san, again."

Something dripped onto her shoulder.

 _Ah…_

Touching her shoulder, her hand was covered in a thick saliva. Shizuru looked up at the now audible rapid clicking sounds and instantly lunged over the fire, grasping her naginata. A heavy blow from the claw of an orphan pierced the ground. The clicking grew faster as the monster attempted to pry its hand from the ground.

Nearby, the horse panicked and Shizuru smacked the steed's rear, urging him to run. She concentrated on the monster, now. Observing it, the orphan was large and serpentine, supporting a torso and long arms. The entirety of its eyes were engulfed in a pale yellow and saliva continued to flow from its mouth as it looked on hungrily.

Shizuru, never seeing its type or an orphan so large, widened her stance and prepared herself. Once freeing its hand, it quickly slithered up, its large head gnashing at the knight who used the end of her polearm to swing herself away from its path, gouging out its right eye with the blade as she pulled it along. The blood that followed and landed on her arm burned.

It shrieked followed by a series of clicks and the monster's tail struck Shizuru mid-air, an involuntary action that did the creature a favor. Shizuru managed to use the length of the naginata to block the strike, but grunted. The force sent the shock into her wrists and arms, causing her a great deal of pain.

Shizuru was able to land on her feet and avoid falling, but a quick assessment of her surroundings she noticed her back was almost to a tree. She was way in over her head. She needed to run. The orphan's serpentine body and extra-long arms gave it all the reach it needed were she to choose one side or the other to run.

She decided to run into the forest and hope the trees discouraged its size, or at the very least slow it down. It closed in. Shizuru's back was now against bark and she pivoted around it to get behind.

Briefly peering behind as she ran, she saw the orphan had followed. Thankfully the trees slowed its advance as she was able to maneuver around them more agilely. Still, Shizuru was no forest ranger. The thick and bumpy forest terrain and uphill ascent posed tripping hazards, thus slowing her progress of distancing herself from camp.

The clicking behind her was a distance away, but still terribly close. As if in a desperate burst, the orphan's speed quickened and, with an arm outstretched, flung its tail past Shizuru. Her eyes widened as she met face to face with it. The orphan had flicked its tail past her and ungracefully dove using an arm to grasp its own tail, creating a fleshy ring around the knight. With the free, gruesomely clawed hand it reached out, its forked tongue flicking out of its mouth.

Growls emanating not from the orphan came into earshot and the same pitched howl that Shizuru recognized from earlier sounded. Several glowing eyes shown in the growing darkness. _Wolves?_ She thought. From what she could count in the rapidly moving event were five large wolves, each with a shaded furry coat of its own.

Three leapt over the serpent and into the ring that encased Shizuru. One attacked its remaining eye and the other its throat. The third pinned the hand attempting to grasp the knight with powerful jaws. Outside of the fleshy circle were the two other canines, aggressively prying hand from tail until successfully breaking the serpent's grip and opening the circle for Shizuru's escape.

The orphan's writhing threw the wolves off and one landed on its back with a whimper. Recovering, the five attacked again. Growls, barks, and pained clicking filled the forest. Shizuru only stayed back, thinking it more dangerous to help. As if they _needed_ help.

A brown coated wolf shoved its arm into the gash Shizuru had cut in its eye, whether by force or accident it worked. The monster shrieked and clicked, falling onto its back, its tail flailing dangerously. A darkly coated wolf standing on the ground jumped on the now helpless creature and attacked its throat, tearing it open. It writhed for a few seconds and then stopped limp. Like all dead orphans, it began to rapidly decay and disappear as the wolves hopped off its corpse.

Their coats were glistening with blood and the growling ceased for a short while. They approached Shizuru who loosened her grip on the naginata, feeling this was her chance to appeal to the natives approaching. She did not move but the closest one to her suddenly growled, ears folded back. The grip on her naginata tightened.

"Why are you here?" A deep, hoarse voice came from him. Shizuru was surprised to hear him speak.

Some of the wolves stood up and Shizuru realized they were not fully the wolves she was accustomed to seeing, but merely werewolves crouched over on all fours. She noticed they had dark garments on after her eyes adjusted in the dim light and the moon shown through the forest canopy. As they stood on their legs, they towered over her and stared down with softly glowing eyes. If they wished to, they could strike her down with a single blow.

Slowly though, she saw them change in front of her eyes. In an attempt to appeal to the human and have her speak without force, they stared at her with a face like her own. Their change from werewolf to human was rather chilling. Faint sounds of bones shifting and features becoming distorted was an otherworldly experience for her.

After the fur had receded, the blood remained where it was before and leather vests and cloth trousers covered the skin they had. They wore no shoes and carried nothing with them. Three males and two females. "Ah…"

Among the five, Shizuru recognized Aoi and Natsuki. Blood engulfed the entirety of Aoi's right arm from fingers to shoulder. She was the brown wolf that jabbed her arm into the orphan's wounded eye. Blood was on Natsuki's hands and mouth as she was the black wolf that delivered the killing blow. The male closest to Shizuru that just spoke was rather tan with black hair and golden eyes, a nasty scar on the side of his face. Another was extremely tall and muscular with shoulder length brown hair pulled in a ponytail. He only had one golden eye, the other permanently closed over with a scar. The last male was almost as small as Natsuki with dark blue hair and golden eyes as well. Gold only seemed to be the common eye color among the wolves, but Shizuru found them intriguing. Beautiful even.

Natsuki looked as angry as ever, eyebrows furrowed deeply into a scowl. Aoi was the only one out of the group that did not seem like she would rip Shizuru apart, "I thought I told you to leave…" She said softly to Shizuru, her voice not angry, but rather disappointed.

Shizuru reached for her side, popping open the parchment tube and handing them the king's letters. The man that previously spoke that she took as the one responsible for the group looked confused holding the letters. Shizuru tilted her head, _Ara, could it be they can't read?_ She thought. She then spoke, "I was sent here from Artai to find a tribe and deliver this letter."

"Oi, Takeda, can you even read that?" Natsuki crossed her arms.

He looked rather embarrassed, but shook his head, "N—No," he turned to Shizuru, "We will bring it to the Guides for you. They should be able to read it."

"Ara, but I must deliver it in person and receive an answer before I return home."

The wolves muttered among themselves, reaching no immediate and clear decision until Shizuru spoke once more with a shift in tone, "Please. It is a matter of peace, I'm sure you can understand. And if you want..." She moved her naginata and the wolves' stance changed to one that was guarded. Instead of aggression from the knight, Shizuru sheathed her weapon, holstered it, and unbuckled the holster, handing it to Takeda in front of her. "I know you have no reason to trust me, but I am thankful you all saved me. I'm in debt to you all. I say I came only with good intentions and to deliver this message in hopes of establishing the peace the King wishes for with your people."

Staring at the weapon in his hands, Takeda relaxed and returned the letters to her, "Very well. We'll take you. Anyone disagree?" He turned to the others who all either nodded or responded indifferently. Though Natsuki was whom only responded indifferently. The entire time they spoke her arms were crossed and she eyed Shizuru cautiously. With the approval, Takeda buckled the naginata holster and put it on, "What is your name?"

"Shizuru Fujino." The knight smiled, glad to have landed on their good side. Or in Natsuki's case, neutral. She felt disappointed the young woman did not think well of her without a clear reason, but happy nonetheless that she would be in the company of others.

Takeda did show a small, hospitable smile, but looked around, "Did you come alone, Shizuru Fujino?"

"Ara," Shizuru looked about and brought her fingers to her mouth. She let out a high-pitched whistle, "Only my horse and a hawk. They ran when the orphan attacked." She told them, turning to release another whistle. Thankfully, George whinnied in the distance and eventually found his way towards the group, Diana flying overhead. Shizuru ran a hand through the steed's mane.

"It's good your friends are okay. They can come." Said Takeda, "There's a lot of ground to cover before getting to the village so we should go."

Natsuki's arms unfolded and she began wiping the blood on her chin before it had the chance to dry, "Idiot, if we're taking her remember the rules."

"Ah, I remember, I remember." Takeda waved a hand carelessly and grinned at Natsuki.

She wasn't pleased with it, "Like hell you do." She barked, "Aoi, you're able to. Just do it."

Shizuru tilted her head curiously.

With a sigh, Aoi walked up to Shizuru silently.

The cold night wind blew through the trees as the others began to walk off. Natsuki lagged behind for Aoi, the men paying no mind as they led, staggering their formation.

Blue eyes peered into crimson and Aoi's hands snaked up, one to cup the side of Shizuru's face and the other nestled behind her neck. The knight did not understand what was happening and could not move. Words refused to leave her mouth.

Aoi's stare seemed to have fixated her and she suddenly felt so… relaxed. It was strange, but oddly felt great. Her eyes were half-closed as if waking from a dream, rather falling into one actually, and she could no longer discern what was happening. "Sleep…" Aoi's voice whispered soothingly, the command seeming to come into her mind like a personal thought. Then lips met hers. Shizuru's eyes closed and her body fell limp as Aoi cradled her.


	4. Dangerous Races

**_A/N:_** _Yes, our Aoi just became the first to smooch Shizuru! DAMN. Things shall be explained a bit in this chapter. I hope I don't get killed for this kiss, but I got some nice comments and I thank you guys for that. It really lets me know you guys enjoy this. Lots of things have been happening in my life as you can see if you follow my blog and I'm struggling with depression, so writing is my escape. Writing makes me happy and knowing you guys like it makes me even happier._

 _Also_ _just a heads up: I am military. This weekend I am leaving for two weeks so I won't be updating until returning on the 27th. I'll try to write another chapter or two before I go._

 _Anyways, onwards!_

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

 _A thief loses their fingers. A liar loses their tongue. A traitor loses their life. Which should I see you as? Liar? Or traitor?_

 _No! Stay away from me, you damn lunatic!_

* * *

She laid on her side in just her shirt and trousers, leather armor removed so she could rest comfortably. Her chest rose and fell slowly, slumbering face almost peaceful with the chestnut locks pooled lusciously around her face. Long lashes fluttered open to show deep crimson eyes, still hazy from sleep.

Shizuru felt light and her arms even lighter, throat slightly aching. It was like lying on a cloud, suspended, but rather comfortable. Aware of being awake, Shizuru decided to overcome her feeling of weakness and drowsiness little by little.

She closed her hands and felt an immediate pain in her wrists, especially her right one. She deemed it most likely due to the shock that went through them while blocking the orphan's attack. Trying to roll her wrists around she just couldn't with her right, feeling nothing but pain. Smooth fur was under her palms as she closed her left hand and Shizuru rolled over onto her back.

The knight was in a small room. Rather a cave. A skylight let the sun's rays pool in and she could hear the early morning cries of insects and birds outside. Seeing nothing but a stone wall to her face when she peered left, Shizuru noticed she was in a rectangular alcove in the stone, lying on top of paddings and skins that made a decent bed. Peering right, the wall opposite was adorned with different styles and designs of bows and knives. A simple fire pit stood in the middle of the room, the embers burning weakly now as a thin trail of smoke rose and escaped from the open ceiling.

Natsuki lied alone at the fire pit, no one else present in the room. She was not asleep on the ground, rather just staring up at the open ceiling. Her hands were folded behind her head, cushioning it, and knees bent. The clothes she had on was similar to the night before. Designs of black and green adorned the baggy trousers, held by a black sash. The same styled vest draped the black bra she wore, exposing thick abdominal muscles. The blue-haired beauty appeared calmer compared to the other day, body completely relaxed and no scowl visible on her face. The far off look the young woman gave struck the brunette as rather adorable and she wondered the thoughts running through Natsuki's mind.

Slowly, Shizuru sat up.

The shifting cloth caught Natsuki's attention. Instantly, Natuski's head turned to face Shizuru and the wolf jumped to her feet. She approached Shizuru and instead of being met with the usual aggression she had become accustom to since their meeting, Natsuki's husky voice was a softer tone, not as rough, "How are you feeling?" Shizuru moved to throw her legs over the edge of the bed and her drowsiness made Natsuki think she would topple over. The wolf placed a hand on the knight's shoulder, supporting her, "Oi, take it easy until you fully wake up." She grabbed a ladle from a bucket and offered her water, "Here, drink."

Shizuru graciously accepted and hydrated herself, feeling some energy enter her body and wash away the drowsiness. She blinked a few times, feeling more awake, "Ookini, Natsuki." Shizuru's throat hurt slightly as she spoke. She had to soften it to lessen the irritation. She addressed her simply, aware that their people didn't have titles. Still, habits and upbringing of never addressing someone by their first name, unless permitted, made her feel it was rude. Did they even have last names?

Natsuki was confused, but took back the ladle Shizuru gave her, "You're welcome…?"

Curious, Shizuru had to ask, "How did you find me last night?"

"We have been hunting that damn monster for days. Too smart. It's killed a lot of kinsmen…" Natsuki looked to the side, maybe still in a period of grief for their tribe's loses. Shizuru apologized for the losses, but Natsuki just shrugged. She appreciated it, but did not want to delve into the subject, "Heard its sounds from a mile away. And Aoi and I recognized your scent." _It was a good scent, too._

"And where are we?" Shizuru asked, looking around the room again. Her memory of the things that transpired the other night began to return to her. The wolves killing the orphan. Their names despite the lack of an introduction from their side. The tense conversation before Takeda decided to allow her to go with them. Even Aoi's kiss. Shizuru covered her mouth remembering it and the feeling of being completely in someone else's control. "Ara, and she kissed me…"

"We are at my place." Natsuki answered and stood to take the bucket of water to the open entrance, covered simply by a blue woven cloth. She returned, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, biceps rather large for a small woman, "Aoi is one of the few with a Gift. I don't know much, but it's power."

"Power? Are they all the same as hers?"

"… No. The power is unique to oneself. Everyone that has it is different. Some people with a Gift can see memories of the person they touch. Others can bend some objects to their will. Scary stuff if you ask me. I don't have a Gift, I'm normal." Natsuki sighed. Her eyes lingered to the side, "Some can heal. In Aoi's case… she can command. Anything she wants she can make you do as long as your mind is bendable or willing to accept her words. And as long as it's sealed by a kiss. I've heard of some Gifts like hers that only require eye contact, but it's only stories."

Shizuru's brow raised, "Ara, just like we have people who can use magic naturally." Natsuki nodded, showing the gifts some individuals had for both sides were the same general idea, "Aoi's power sounds very dangerous."

Natsuki growled and instantly jumped to her friend's defense. Shizuru did not mean for it to offend, but Natsuki was like a ticking time bomb. Calm the next and not the other, "Aoi would never use it unless she has to!" She pushed herself off the wall, "Anyways, she actually hates it. If she weren't there with us we would have just knocked you out and brought you here. Which would have hurt." Natsuki pushed her face close as she spoke in the same low, husky tone. Then she took a few steps away, "You couldn't know the way to our home. Any human that ends up lost here is commanded to sleep and forget."

The knight understood. Never allow a prisoner to know the location of their captivity. Deprive them of their sight while transporting them or render them unconscious. That is what the knights did with messengers and prisoners of war. Only that Artai was in a time of peace. It is safer and convenient, especially in the tribe's case. Shizuru only hoped she was not their prisoner. They did agree to try to give her an audience after all.

Could it be Erstin and the others in Rein found at the entrance were put to sleep by Aoi? It made sense.

"I understand. I'm sorry, Natsuki. That was rude of me to say." Shizuru smiled and apologized.

The young woman was taken back by an apology. She covered her mouth, vainly hiding her flustered expression. Shizuru very obviously noticed the girl was not used to being apologized to. "W—Whatever. It's not like I care." Natsuki turned away. _A stranger is a stranger,_ Natsuki thought. _No matter how kind of an act they put up… or how nice they smelled._ A light blush appeared, thankfully out of sight from Shizuru, as she thought of the scent.

Deciding to pull away from their talk, Shizuru asked, "Where is the rest of my things?"

Natsuki simply pointed to a low end table behind her. Shizuru slowly rose to her feet and made her way to it. Her leather vest and bracers, boots, as well as the parchment tube and bag were neatly folded and laid out on the beautifully carved table, covered in designs and symbols foreign to her. The people seemed to know woodcraft. Shizuru paused wanting to scold herself. She was underestimating Natsuki's people. All because of what? Where they were and how they lived? And how they lived Shizuru was still not entirely sure. Of course, they would know how to work wood, metal, and various other things. She just did not know much about the Kagean natives. Not one bit. She needed to stop being so surprised at every similarity she saw between the wolves and humans.

She searched through her belongings for a second and blinked. Of course. The map was the only thing missing, as well as her weapon. _Ara, I can't blame them._

As Shizuru pulled on her leather, belt, and bag, she heard Natsuki speak behind her, "Good morning, Aoi."

The knight looked over her shoulder to see Aoi entering Natsuki's living space, brushing away the cloth that blocked the entrance. Bright sunlight shone behind the cloth and the brunette had the urge to be outside now.

Seeing Aoi now raised the hairs on her neck and she continued to lace her bracers together, pretending not to notice the woman enter. The kiss was not what got her. It was only a kiss. A kiss with absolutely no romantic motive or feeling behind it. Shizuru did not care about the kiss. It was just the power it had, the power Aoi had, and it gave Shizuru a sense of… helplessness. Complete and utter helplessness. Like her mind and body had been invaded and she could do nothing to stop it.

Shizuru, with people, was simple. Her upbringing called for her to show kindness and humility, even in the face of those that did not reciprocate it. She trusted until given a reason not to trust. Aoi's power gave her a reason to be alert, but if it was as Natsuki said, it would not be used again on her. Aoi's power, however, did not give her a reason to stop trusting her. She saved her from Natsuki and trusted her enough to return her weapon. The knight, with a barely audible sigh, decided to suck it up and finished off lacing her bracers and slipping on her boots.

Finished dressing, Shizuru turned to see the two sitting down, legs crossed and relaxed. The way they looked at Shizuru prompted her to sit down as well so she sat across the fire from them, legs folded underneath her thighs. Enough could be said by the way they dressed and sat that they were from different worlds. She was no longer on her own, but Shizuru still felt detached.

Aoi held a deerskin bag that she opened while Natsuki held wooden plates. The bluenette glanced up at Shizuru and took a plate, "Catch."

She threw it over the dying fire and Shizuru caught it.

Aoi smiled a friendly one and Shizuru returned a rather forced one. The young woman was obviously unbothered by the other night, but knew Shizuru was, "I apologize for the other night if it was uncomfortable. It must have been strange for you, but we had to do it."

She pulled out what looked like seasoned raw strips of meat from the deerskin bag and piled it on the plate Natsuki placed by them. Immediately, Natsuki began kindling the dying fire and soon enough it roared with life again. Only after the wolves began placing the meat to cook did Shizuru realize she was hungry.

Her stomach growled silently, but the wolves heard it clearly and grinned. Aoi tended to their cooking food and spoke, "Takeda spoke to our Guides. They agreed to meet with you, but only after you've eaten,"

* * *

In addition to the deer strips, Natsuki cooked up a delicious stew, completely filling and satisfying their stomachs. After finishing the meal Natsuki picked up after them, placing the wooden plates and bowls outside the entrance to clean later. Stepping past the clothed entrance they walked through a short corridor that wind funneled through. A nook to the right held a stick and log holder with an axe leaning against the wall. At the end of the corridor was the Kagean outdoors. Shizuru shielded her eyes from the bright sun, the sky clear without a single cloud in sight.

Eventually her hand dropped to her side and she saw the simple outside of Natsuki's humble little home. A small pond was outside with wooden archery targets at the other side of it, ranged from human to animal shaped. A few arrows were still pinned to the posts, hitting either dead center or on every vital of the respective creatures' body. The area was rather grassy other than the bare dirt ground just outside of the entrance. Several scuff, track, and scratch marks shown in the dirt—signs of fighting. Shizuru figured the young wolf was into sparring. Rubbing her aching throat, she thought, _She is strong_.

Walking into the forest directly ahead it only continued on for a few meters. Reaching its end Shizuru's eyes twinkled with fascination. The wood line opened up to a rather large agora, reminding her of a marketplace with the men, women, and children running about. Some were transformed, some in their human skin. She notice some were not wolves at all. Shizuru noticed felines prancing about and ravens with large wings carrying their bodies through the sky. In the background of the lovely village scenery was a mountain, towering proudly into the sky while the rest of the mountain range shamefully stretched along.

The marketplace-like agora was, however, not a marketplace. The tribesmen were either weaving baskets or speaking, sparring, or simply relaxing. All brought together in one area as a large family. Shizuru had to wonder if one alpha pair was responsible for such a large pack. The majority looked nothing alike. Natsuki and Aoi, as well. Being in the same pack they must have been sisters, right?

Natsuki was closer as Aoi led the way, weaving them through the numerous bodies walking about. Shizuru placed a hand on her arm and the wolf flinched. Still, she calmly looked over her shoulder, "What is it?" She mumbled, locking eyes with Shizuru. The knight was glad Natsuki was at least in the mood to talk.

"This is a large village. Is this all one pack under one alpha?" She asked, curious and just wanting to break the silence of the trio.

"Yes, this is one pack, but what's an alpha?" Natsuki's eyebrow raised.

Shizuru brought a finger to her chin, arranging her words, and with a hum, answered, "What we know about wolves is they live in packs. Dominated by an alpha male and female."

The blue-haired woman's lips pulled to wry grin, "Are you sure you have not been looking at confused little dogs instead of wolves?" she said almost mockingly, "It is true most packs are small, but what you see here is many families and many people all united as one family. We aren't dominated by Gouu and Saeko, they're our Guides. When a decision needs to be made they help. They make sure we are happy and safe. Like parents." Natsuki's voice softened.

"That sounds wonderful, Natsuki." Shizuru smiled at her, "For everyone to be so close like this, you all must live happy fulfilling lives. I wish I knew what a family was like," the brunette said the last sentence under her breath.

She did not think Natsuki heard it, but Natsuki's eyes widened slightly. _This woman doesn't have a family?_ She thought. Still, she decided to pretend she did not hear it and looked forward, "I—I guess…"

Feeling that was all the talk that would come out of Natsuki, Shizuru allowed the walk to continue in silence. She now had to battle the uneasy feeling of stares all around her. Anyone within visible range noticed her, her attire, her human descent. She paid no mind, not really expecting anything other than what she was getting now. Some poked at her like a foreign object though, making her rather uncomfortable. Natsuki noticed and deterred anyone from bothering their guest.

"Who you'll being seeing is Saeko and Gouu," Aoi finally began speaking, capturing Shizuru's attention, "They're our Guides and they'll see to your message. They're very kind, so don't worry."

Eventually a tree hut came into view, one of the few buildings around. The style of housing, she noticed, probably depended on the individual's taste. She had seen some tree huts at the other side of the agora, some on the ground. The tree hut was built on a tall species she could not identify, a small deck encircling the outside. The hut itself was not too high up, but Shizuru still wondered how they got up and down.

Natsuki answered her question by jumping on the tree, grasping a branch, "Well, come on, let's go." She made it look so terribly easy.

Shizuru could not remember the last time she climbed a tree. As a child she did, but never with a tree _this_ tall. Aoi suddenly asked, "Shizuru, you're not hurt from yesterday are you?"

The brunette walked up to the tree looking up, "Ara, my wrists are in some pain and my throat as well," she answered honestly. Natsuki looked away at the mention of her throat being in pain. They could tell from Shizuru's tone of voice since waking that it hurt to talk. It was like being sick and having a sore throat, but the throbbing was always there. _Even if I weren't hurt I still can't climb this!_

"You're not climbing yourself then. No need having you hurt more," Aoi hummed, hands on her hips. Blue eyes peered at the blue haired woman, still hanging on the tree branch like a koala. Wolves climbing trees. Who would've thought? "Natsuki~ Carry her up."

"Eh? Why me?!"

"Because you're stronger." Aoi smiled casually.

Natsuki looked at Shizuru and back at Aoi, "Tch, fine, but if we fall and die I'm never talking to you again!" She pointed, still hanging on with an arm before hopping down.

Aoi giggled at the irony of those words. "You're so silly, let's not keep them waiting," she said and waved, hopping up a few meters and grabbing hold of the first branch. The brunette quickly ascended, leaving the two behind.

Natsuki just stood close to the tree and turned her back to Shizuru, bending her knees slightly. She used a thumb to point backwards, "Oi, hop on." The knight approached her and wrapped her arms around the werewolf's shoulders. Sure that Shizuru had a good grip, Natsuki immediately jumped up and grabbed hold of the first branch, swinging herself from one to the other.

Swinging through the air as they were, movement free and completely unhindered because of Natsuki's beastly strength was an experience for Shizuru. She trusted the woman she held on to, knowing her strength was more than any human. The only conflict was to avoid looking down. If she did she would probably tense up and accidentally choke the poor girl and get them killed. Instead, Shizuru focused on relaxing.

In the endeavor, the knight unconsciously rested the side of her face in Natsuki's long hair, tied in a low ponytail. Her hair was soft and smelled of wild pine, a scent she had never noticed from afar. She again unconsciously rubbed her face deeper into the soft mane, drawing a stifled sound from Natsuki. Shizuru realized what she was doing and just froze, suddenly regretful of what she did. She could only imagine Natsuki's face currently and seriously hoped the unconscious action did not anger or discomfort the girl.

Still, Natsuki continued climbing without a word. All the rapid climbing did not seem to tire her out. Her breathing was stable, showing no signs of ever picking up. Soon enough, Natsuki stopped on a branch. They reached a part of the tree that had no branches. It was an area of a few meters completely devoid of support they needed—a danger zone that Aoi was only half way finished with crossing.

"Oi, Aoi." The younger brunette looked down at the sound of Natsuki's voice. Natsuki's face was smug—yet another new expression Shizuru had had the pleasure of witnessing, "We caught up pretty fast, getting tired are you?"

Aoi let out a shaky laugh, "In your dreams. I'm just trying to be careful here." She, too, did not show signs of fatigue. Perhaps she was shaking because of the heights. She was a denizen of the ground, after all.

Natsuki grinned and began crossing the hazard zone, one leap after another, resting for a period in between each before continuing. Soon, they were past Aoi and the brunette felt pressured to catch up. Natsuki felt competitive and was then drawn into a race with the brunette.

Aoi did begin to close the distance, using the reserved energy she had taking her sweet time earlier. They were eventually neck and neck, Shizuru merely watching as a spectator from Natsuki's back. She had a feeling Natsuki would breeze her way up the tree if she were not burdening her.

Branches appeared once more and soon they reached the foundations of the hut. Maneuvering through the foundation beams, they aimed to reach for the edge of the deck. Natsuki reached it first, followed by Aoi just a few seconds later.

On the safety of the deck, Shizuru released her hold of Natsuki, "Ara, that was an interesting race," she laughed.

Both Aoi and Natsuki were keeled over, hands on their knees. Clearly, racing wore them out. They were worried they would drop and plummet to the ground just before reaching the foundation. "I won…" Breathed Natsuki, "Next time we babysit… _you're_ watching all those little brats."

"I wasn't aware we made a bet… but alright." Aoi straightened up.

Immediately after Aoi composed herself, a gigantic werewolf burst through the door of the hut and nearly broke it, bellowing lowly, but loudly, "What in the world took you two so long?! It's rude to keep the guest waiting she has business here!"

The younger brunette and bluenette both jumped while Shizuru simply stood there in bewilderment of the size of the gray and white-furred werewolf. He wore trousers similar to Natsuki's dark green and black ones and had no shirt, rather just bracers around his wrists. A gemmed necklace dangled from his neck. The young wolves looked terrified, but suddenly the large wolf's posture relaxed and his lips pulled back in a toothy grin, "Just kidding~" his voice was suddenly soft, "I just wanted to see what would happen, you two are priceless," He laughed and turned to Shizuru, bowing, "My name is Gouu. One of the Guides of this pack."

Surprised he knew the customs of greeting in Artai, Shizuru bowed back and he stood straight again, towering almost two feet above Shizuru. "My name is Shizuru Fujino, it's a pleasure to meet you." She smiled.

"I understand you have business here. Please, come in." Gouu motioned for the door.

"I—Including us?" Natsuki pointed at both herself and Aoi. She did not understand the purpose since the business had nothing to do with them.

"Of course, pup! You two brought her here after all." Gouu motioned with his head towards the door, "There will be no secret about this. We can discuss this openly. Come."


	5. Stranger's Footsteps

**_A/N:_** _It's as if these chapters are getting longer. I managed to make a cover image for Wolf's Heart and a few sketches ^^ They'll be up on my DA tomorrow as I should really sleep. Had a long day. I don't know if this will be the last update before I leave. If there is no update there will be after the 27th._

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

After finding out Shizuru was an avid lover of tea through small talk at the door, Gouu immediately gathered pots and cups and stoked the fire. He began to brew some for her and the two girls following behind before they settled down on the mats around the pit. He had long since reverted back to his human skin—a handsome man with graying black hair pulled in a short ponytail. His eyes were a deep green and an eternally carefree smile crossed his face.

Gouu sat across from Shizuru and twirled a little twig in his hand. As the tea brewed, they managed some talk for a few minutes, speaking of Shizuru's experience with the Orphan and the setting of the village. "We should take a look at your wrists in case it's serious. My mate possesses the healing Gift so she could be of assistance," He told the knight, randomly poking at the fire in front of him with the stick in his hand.

"Who's this I smell?" A soft voice sounded and another woman entered the room. Shizuru was completely baffled. She had to glance over her shoulder to check if Natsuki was still there because the older woman that entered looked strikingly similar to her—even more so than Gouu. Her skin was a milky white and long hair the same shade of blue and style as Natsuki. Her eyes were a soft green and, unlike Natsuki, bode hospitality and kindness as she looked over the guest. But soon her eyes were only on the young woman behind Shizuru, "Natsuki!" The woman was behind Shizuru in a flash, kneeling before Natsuki and embracing her, rubbing her face into the pup's shoulder.

"Mother, stop…" Natsuki mumbled, but her arms, too, were around her mother. A smile crept on her face.

"Ara, mother? I _was_ right," Shizuru pressed her hands together. She had a feeling the striking similarity was more than a mere coincidence.

Gouu's face lit up seeing her enter the room and embrace their daughter. "Great resemblance, isn't there? This is the other Guide of this pack, Saeko. Otherwise known as my mate." He introduced her with enthusiasm and smiled broadly.

Saeko suddenly turned to face Shizuru and smiled, "I'm sorry for this. It's just been so long… Natsuki never visits anymore and we miss her," She looked over her shoulder to Natsuki, making an expression similar to a pout.

A flustered sound came from Natsuki and she sighed, "I'm sorry, mother, I've just been so busy as of late…. I've been meaning to visit, I really have!" she exclaimed, knowing the lack of visits had really been saddening her mother. She did feel extremely guilty.

"I'm just happy to finally see you, Natsuki... Don't feel bad." Saeko gave her hand a squeeze before taking a seat next to her mate, while Natsuki nodded. "Like Gouu said, I am Saeko. It's very nice to meet you." She bowed her head.

Shizuru smiled and could feel the love the small family clearly had for each other. Gouu obviously adored Saeko and the way Saeko smiled at Natsuki spoke unconditional love and care. Natsuki, too, could not hide from it and any attempts to appear hardened in front of the knight just failed. The wolves valued family and Shizuru respected it. She bowed her head towards Saeko, "It's a pleasure. I am Shizuru Fujino."

"So I heard of healing? Are you injured?" Saeko asked after pouring some tea and handing it to everyone in the room.

Shizuru graciously accepted the drink and took a sip before answering, "Oh, it's just my wrists. With the orphan attack yesterday I blocked it and I suppose the shock has caused it some pain."

"Do you want me to look at it for you? I happen to be a healer." Saeko offered, but Shizuru shook her head.

"Thank you, but it's fine, it's fine. I'm sure there's nothing wrong." Shizuru waved it off. Before Saeko could ask if she was sure, Shizuru opened the parchment tube in her bag and pulled out the letter. She handed it to Saeko across the way, "I'm only here to deliver this message. I am not sure what happened over sixty years ago and I honestly would like to know, but this is a proposition of peace from our King."

Both Guides leaned closer to each other, reading over the letter's contents and sighed, "It's very complicated. We really can't do this for you." Said Saeko.

Gouu then spoke in his mate's stead, "We know about this proposition, Shizuru, and we alone can't decide something for millions living in this forest." He put the parchment down, "We have something called a Tribunal. A collection of leaders from different packs, different species of shifters here. The Tribunal is where decisions regarding us as a whole is discussed. What your king is asking for would be one of those decision. Saeko and I are a part of it, but we alone cannot decide without their agreement."

The knight listened carefully and her hands balled up in her lap, inducing the pain in her wrists. "I see, then is there any way I can meet the Tribunal…?" She asked.

"The night of your arrival caused quite a bit of ruckus." Gouu grinned, "We already knew the nature of your visit even without an explanation from Takeda. We gathered that night and they refuse to meet you right now."

"Ara, why is that?"

"How much do you know about us, Shizuru?" Saeko jumped in. Her voice let Shizuru know she was about to continue, not allowing her to answer just yet, "You were sent here with no knowledge of us, our culture, or workings, nor the few tribes your king knows of from the time he ruled. Knowledge that could have helped you. They did not give you the satisfaction of having a choice coming here, right? So your only intention was simply doing as you were told, hope for a quick answer, and return home."

"We are the Kuga Family, one of the largest in the Kagean. Dozens of families and individuals brought into one. Other tribes have hundreds more that would feel threatened by the proposition of reconnecting once more, others supportive. It's delicate." Gouu stated, leaning forward to stare straight into crimson eyes that watched intently, "There is much history here between us and Artai. Throughout the generations your side has shown little to no interest in learning, understanding, and walking our footsteps when we have done so much to understand them. All Artai has ever shown interest in is personal gain."

"You are completely ignorant about us." Saeko's gentle tone turned low.

Shizuru did not know why she took the last comment personally. She wanted to prove she knew something about the wolves, prove she was not completely ignorant, but she recognized it was all true. Suddenly she understood her original intentions weren't what they should have been. She was bringing a message of peace and wanting to achieve it in all the wrong ways and intent. In a way, it was just convenient for Artai and considering nothing for the Kageans.

"She's right about that." Natsuki said behind her with a scoff. The young wolf was leaned back on her hands, listening closely, and suddenly feeling the urge to comment at least once.

Aoi averted her gaze from the conversation, but not her attention. A small shine shown in her eyes as they spoke which just grew as the time passed. She agreed it was true, but she did not believe things would stay that way. The young brunette had always been supportive of the peace and spoke, "It's never too late to learn. For both sides." Her voice was barely audible, "It takes effort, an open mind, and time. It's difficult, but I believe it will be worth it in the end if she is given a chance. It just has to start with one."

The words were optimistic and heartfelt, but sad accompanied with nothing more than a pained smile. Shizuru saw the shine in her eyes grow to tears being held desperately at bay. The younger brunette suddenly stood to leave the room. "Aoi!" Natsuki jumped to her feet to start after her. Footsteps went past the room, they heard the door open, and then close.

Shizuru's eyes lowered, both worried and curious about Aoi's sudden episode, but needed to finish her business with the Guides. Shizuru's hand came to her chest and she said to them, "Please, allow me learn. I'm willing to try and I want to understand. Everything." She sincerely did. She no longer wanted to be ignorant and wished to learn everything she possible could. It was an effort to just speak to the Tribunal, but another personal motive emerged in the wake of Aoi's words.

Gouu's toothy grin grew larger and Saeko placed her cup down. He said, "And you will. We were going to say the Tribunal only wishes to speak to you after you've spent some time with us. Six months. The day before the autumn equinox festival they will meet with you."

Shizuru gave a relieved sigh and bowed from her seat, pressing her hands, almost forehead, to the ground, "Thank you so much." She sat up with a broad smile, finally feeling she was going somewhere. Slowly, but step by step. "Thank you so much for this chance."

"Let's hope this works out." Gouu said, standing up. He made his way towards the hut's exit and turned slightly before leaving, "I'm going to check on the pups. I think you should allow Saeko to tend to your injuries for now, Shizuru. You cannot work if you cannot use your hands." With that, he disappeared past the door.

Saeko had inched closer and taken Shizuru's hand, "He's right. Let me look." Lightly gripping it, she blinked, "They're fractured. This will only take a moment, then."

* * *

Gouu stepped out onto the deck and closed the door behind him. On the edge of the deck Natsuki sat alone, just peering down to the agora below. The bodies walking around below looked like ants scurrying about, a perspective that amused her. Just like looking down into the valley from the mountain trail. It was just something about being so high up that Natsuki loved. Gouu made his way towards his daughter and perched himself at the edge by her side. She never noticed him coming until he sat, "Is Aoi alright? She seemed very upset."

"With good reason. She was crying and left to calm down." Natsuki looked at him with a scowl. She loved her parents to death and she would do anything for them, but her softness was only with her mother. She was hard on her father, mostly for no reason. They did not always see eye to eye and as Natsuki grew up they argued quite a bit. The old fashioned folk of the village always saw Natsuki as a troublemaker for always acting out against her parents, Guides no less, "She's also like this because of the Tribunal, you know? You were a part of it, too, and you could have helped."

"Natsuki, that's not fair," Gouu said quietly when she placed some of the blame on him, placing a hand on her shoulder, "I was in the minority and I tried. It wasn't my decision in the end to forbid her from interacting with them. But she does have a chance again, now."

"Well, not the chances she's been wanting." Natsuki said loosely, but he knew what she meant.

"That'll work itself out." Gouu sighed and looked around, rubbing the sides of his trousers before talking again, "Listen, I wanted to talk about a few things,"

"What is it?"

"Your lack of visits for one. Your mother and I are worried… You've been so detached and what we hear about your anger lately worries us more."

Natsuki looked away, arms crossed, "I've just been busy, father. Really. Stress can do that. I'll be fine." She shrugged.

"Will you? Regardless, your parents are here to talk to you if you need us. You need to trust us a little more." He felt he was losing Natsuki the longer he talked and sighed. He went back to business since business was all she was willing to discuss, "Listen, we are putting you in charge of Shizuru's care. Teach and mentor her."

"Why me?" Natsuki asked calmly. She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them.

"You found her first. You know when we find wolves without a pack, they're given an accepting home. The first to have found them must care for them until they, too, understand the pack and can support themselves. We'll treat her like that." Gouu looked up at the clear sky past the branches for a moment and leaned back. There was a pause before he turned his attention back to his daughter, "And two, I think she would be good for you, Natsuki. Give this person a chance and become her friend. It won't kill you to try, in fact it'll open doors for the both of you."

Silence filled the deck for a very long time before Natsuki let out a frustrated sigh, ruffling her own hair, " _Fine_. I'll do as you ask. I guess she's not that bad." She looked away, "She's actually been pretty… nice."

Speaking of Shizuru, she and Saeko finally exited the hut. "Natsuki, where's Aoi?" her mother asked.

"She went home. Needed to calm down."

The female Guide sighed and place a hand on her hip, "Well, it is understandable. Give her time." She placed the other hand on Shizuru's arm, "Thank you for meeting with us. Natsuki's going to teach and care of you while you are here. And Natsuki?"

Natsuki rose to her feet, looking at her mother quizzically, "Yes?"

"Come visit again soon." Her mother smiled, looking at her with a face much like her own. Gouu nodded in agreement. "Now, go have some fun and get along." With that they bade their farewell to both Natsuki and Shizuru and returned to their hut.

They were left there alone on the deck as the blue-haired beauty looked off the deck, seeming to be lost in thought. It was that far-off look that Shizuru loved seeing again. _What are you thinking, Natsuki?_ She thought.

Shizuru place a hand on her arm and stepped closer, "Natsuki? Is everything alright?"

Green eyes turned to her and the young wolf pulled out of her thoughts, "A—Ah yeah, it's nothing. Just a bit worried about Aoi… It's not my place to say, but she's been through a lot with humans. Maybe you should ask her one day." Natsuki rubbed the back of her neck. She then held out her hand, her expression soft this time, "Anyways, let's go home."

* * *

"So did my mother heal you?" Natsuki asked, brushing away the cloth at her home's entrance. Upon returning, Shizuru was met with Diana flying overhead and George grazing about Natsuki's turf. Someone had cared for them the other night and finally returned them. The bird was able to enter Natsuki's home through the skylight and perched herself at the opening, staring down at the pair speaking below.

Shizuru rolled her wrists with a smile, "Good as new!" she said with energy, "Both had fractures, it's an amazing gift. She told me she's had to use it a lot on you," She gave a short laugh, seeing Natsuki's expression.

"W—What? She told you that did she…" she looked away.

"It sounds like you were quite the troublemaker,"

Natsuki crossed her arms, "Eh, I was." She coughed and walked towards the wall adorned with weapons, "Anyways, we're going to hunt for dinner. Show me what you've got." She grabbed a standard longbow, strung it, and handed it and an arrow quiver to Shizuru. After Shizuru accepted the gear into her hands, Natsuki took her own bow and quiver from the wall. The bow had carvings etched around the handle. She paused for a second and pointed at her bow, "Don't ever touch this. It's mine." She walked out the den.

"Hai, hai," Shizuru smiled and followed after, pulling the bow quiver over her head. Stepping outside, the brunette had to stop her for a moment, "Just so you know, Natsuki, I'm not a strong hunter. I was taught to fight and ride. I can track people, but that is about it."

Natsuki's eyes went to the side for a second and then shrugged, "It's fine. Just try your best and you'll get better in time. I'll help you." She took a few steps from Shizuru and held out a hand to stop her, "One moment." The wolf closed her eyes and as she opened them, Shizuru noticed they were radiating a soft green.

The hairs on Shizuru's arms and neck stood on end and she tried not to look so surprised watching the girl change before her eyes. Natsuki let out a breath, the sounds of bones cracking, shifting, and reforming just filling the air. The pain was nothing to Natsuki anymore, but Shizuru could only imagine what it must have felt like. Natsuki's body temperature was searing hot as the fur grew and her mouth sprouted to a muzzle, a tail following all at the same time. It was all a process that took just a few seconds. The noises ended and the results, to Shizuru, were beautiful.

Natsuki, although not as tall as the males in her beast skin, was close to a foot and a half taller than Shizuru. Her fur had grown darker to the point it appeared black, still showing hints of dark blue in the sunlight. The back of her mane still had long luscious locks flowing down and over her shoulders. Looking into the wolf's eyes Shizuru could still see the werewolf as the Natsuki she met. The eyes were still a forest green—distant, but beautiful.

Shizuru's first thought was to touch Natsuki's mane, see if it were as soft as it looked, but she stopped. She knew better than that. Instead she shot her the usual friendly smile and said, "Ara, Natsuki is just as beautiful like this."

Ears perked at the compliment and her tail gave a slight sway. However, Natsuki's words only contradicted her clear and happy body language, "Stop saying weird things, weirdo," the wolf mumbled. The same husky voice was there, only slightly lower in tone. She waved for Shizuru to follow with a stuttering cough, "Come on, do you want to eat tonight or not?"

* * *

The hunt for Shizuru was extremely handicapped. Natsuki, able to see the world in a way much different from the knight, could point out every sign and scent of a creature. Shizuru could not and struggled seeing the things Natsuki would point out to her. Watching, for Natsuki, was not as unbearable as she had thought it would be. She could tell Shizuru truly put an effort to implement what knowledge she had of tracking, attempting to tie in between the similarities and differences of human and animal. Her only struggle was the lack of knowledge on the animal she tracked—their structure, their footprints, the type of marks they leave as they move through certain terrain, and their droppings. Shizuru knew man had two legs and arms, their footprints distinguishable, and way of navigating often unflattering, leaving behind all sorts of clues to be found. Without knowing a thing about the creature you follow, you cannot possibly hope to know what to look for to begin with.

Shizuru was thankful Natsuki was being patient. She was surprised, actually, by the lack of smart comments and the fact she had not been called an idiot or weirdo for the past few hours. Natsuki said they were following rabbits. Fast little critters. She was not entirely confident she could hit one—if they ever found them. The wolf, however, helped and pointed out the details she missed and Shizuru brought them closer. "There we go…" Natsuki whispered, seeing the small game in front of them, "Take the shot."

Pulling an arrow with a broadhead out of her quiver, Shizuru mounted it and drew back the bowstring. Natsuki watched as she did so, mentally complimenting her excellent posture. The knight aimed and released the string, the rabbit giving out a squeaking cry as the arrow hit, scaring off the others.

Shizuru's face lit up, proud of her first accomplishment since arriving at the Kuga's village. They approached the kill and Natsuki removed the arrow. She took the rabbit and held it in her hands, pointing at its side, "You missed the kill spot though so it didn't kill it right away. Not bad, though, Shizuru. It's a good start. A small miss on a tiny target like this is a good hit when you hunt larger game." Natsuki took her own bow in hand and began to walk again, "I'll take the next one,"

"Natsuki, why do you hunt with a weapon when you have the form you're in now?" Shizuru suddenly asked. It was true that their beastly skin provided great speed and strength.

"Because it's difficult alone. We hunt without weapons when we have others to help. We may be fast, but they can be faster as well." She answered Shizuru's question and a twinkle came to her eyes as she had an idea, "Want to try though?"

Shizuru's brow raised, "Try what?"

Natsuki began to move, sniffing the air and looking about for something to follow. She spoke quietly as they moved, Shizuru pushing low branches away from her face as the terrain became dense. "We'll work together on the next one. You spook it and give chase towards me and I'll take care of it." The dark-furred wolf smiled.

When they found the prey they were looking for, Shizuru did as Natsuki said. The wolf separated herself from the brunette, quietly prowling a distance to the other side. She was no longer visible, too far away to notice in the cover of the woods, but Shizuru had an idea where. Standing from her crouched position, Shizuru drew her bow and released an arrow, deliberately missing, and the rabbits scattered.

The brunette just selected the creature running conveniently in the right direction and ran after it, grabbing the arrow pinned to the ground as she passed. _Such tiny animals, but so nimble,_ she thought, maintaining the ground she had between her and the rabbit. She tried not to take her eyes off it, but she wondered if she led it in the correct direction. Peering around, she thought, _This should be it._

Natsuki leapt from the side and grabbed the rabbit in between her jaws. It didn't give so much as a cry or shriek. Stringing it to her belt, Natsuki stood from her crouched position, "That's how it usually works in a group. Chase it, tired it out, and lead it to someone who's waiting. You didn't do bad." Satisfied with her efforts hunting with Natsuki, Shizuru smiled as she caught her breath. She could get used to this.

Only an hour passed as they put their hunt to a close. Four rabbits to Natsuki was enough to suffice for dinner and breakfast. They begin to head home, following an old beaten path the hunters used. The post-hunting hype had led to a silent walk, as Natsuki had nothing to talk about other than hunting. After some time, the wolf thought about the guest she would be having for the next few months. She thought about her father's words. It is true Natsuki thought the knight was kind. Maybe too kind, but Natsuki attempted to show hospitality towards her host. She figured it would be best to know Shizuru rather than live with a complete stranger. She cleared her throat, "So… what did you do as a knight, exactly?"

"I'm a lieutenant, so mostly assisting my superior, Captain Yuuichi, with watching and training soldiers, leading in his absence." Shizuru answered her, fiddling with the bow in her hand. She wondered where they placed her naginata when they took it. Thankfully it was generic and not the specially forged one still lying in her quarters, "He's always gone and so naturally I have to do everything for him while he's away."

"That sounds like a pain." Natsuki scoffed, "More trouble than you really need."

"I'm overworked, but that's to be expected. They like to do it to lieutenants, especially before a promotion," Shizuru rolled her shoulders, generally more relaxed with the wolves than back at the palace, "What about you, Natsuki?"

"Me? I'm just a hunter." As if guessing Shizuru's next question, she answered, "My parents have been Guides for decades and everyone's content about them having it. I don't even want to take their job, I'm also content where I am." Natsuki scratched her head, unable see herself giving guidance to anyone about anything.

They kept walking and Natsuki recalled some things Shizuru had said in past conversations. "Say," she started. Shizuru tilted her head, picking up her pace slightly so they walked beside each other, "This morning you said you wished you knew what a family was like. You don't have one?" Natsuki turned to her, hoping to find out and just deathly curious to know for some reason.

Shizuru faced forward and smiled, face thoughtful and somewhat dejected, "I don't. I've been orphaned so young I don't even remember my parents' faces anymore." She sighed, "I have some memory of them, their voices, but that's it. A Captain of the royal knights took me in and I spent all my life with her. I think it was at twelve they let me start training."

"She may have not been blood, but surely the two of you thought of each other as family?"

Shizuru brought a hand to her chin, "I'd like to think so but… She was always gone. Me, I was always alone taking care of the house. And it was a big house." She smiled, spreading her arms as an exaggeration, "I still wanted to return the favor and be a knight she could be proud of," the brunette continued to look forward. Natsuki felt the change, knowing the older woman always kept eye contact while speaking. Speaking of the memory was obviously hurting her. Shizuru then let her hand drop to her side with a smile, "Ara, but what little time we spent together was always nice so there is that! She was very kind. Selfless. Very high-spirited. One day, I believe I was sixteen, she just went on a campaign to the north and never came back…."

The wolf's ears folded back against her head. The idea of Gouu and Saeko nonexistent in her life was an upsetting and frightening thought. She loved them to death and despite her troublesomeness over the years, they provided her everything she needed. Natsuki felt bad for Shizuru, having no parents and losing her new mother over ten years ago. Natsuki just looked at her with a soft and saddened expression that surprised the knight, "I'm sorry, Shizuru. It must have been lonely. I can't even imagine life without my family."

"Natsuki, it's fine. I had some friends so I was not too lonely!" Shizuru waved it off, not wanting to see the sad expression in Natsuki's eyes any longer. She slowed to a stop and Natsuki noticed, stopping herself, "Natsuki, you're helping me so I may know the answer, but do you honestly believe in peace?"

The wolf nodded, "Ah, I do. I've always wondered what's out there… I actually always wanted to go past this forest and see for myself the different worlds past my own, but I'm also afraid of what could go wrong." Natsuki looked up, as if trying to see past the forest canopy, "But if we do decide to open up I have no choice but to trust others are as good as you. I trust you're a good person, Shizuru, and I'm sorry for hurting you yesterday. I want to give you a chance, I mean we're stuck together right now." The wolf said wholeheartedly, her words almost unconsciously spilling from her.

Without a word, Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki, her form too tall to wrap around her neck, "It is okay, Natsuki. Thank you for trusting me." The words overjoyed the knight and fur against Shizuru's face was softer than she imagined. Warm.

A blush could not appear on the wolf's face, but Natsuki felt it warm up nonetheless. Natsuki was easily flustered by this woman, but this time she did not mind. There was no backlash or aggression, no calling the brunette an idiot or weirdo. Shizuru smiled as large arms wrap around her. Those arms could easily crush her, but they felt so gentle. "You're welcome," Natsuki said. A new question came to mind as they pulled away from each other, "What do you want to know by the time you leave here?"

The knight peered into the forest green eyes and smiled, bringing a hand to her chin pretending to give her answer some thought, "Let's see, I want to know your culture and history, become a great hunter, meet the other species, and…" she let her hand drop from her chin and her smile broadened looking at the wolf, bringing about another flustered expression, "… and I want to know Natsuki."


	6. Fidgety

**_A/N:_** _I'm back from Fort Stewart! Had a great time, actually, being the newbie in the unit and all. In my comfy bed now, in air conditioning, and my brain is possibly fried from all the heat I've been in while in uniform xD. But really, this story is all I've been thinking about over there and every time I go into the barracks it's just notebook + pencil + ideas._

 _Thank you so much for all the great reviews, follows, and such while I was gone as well as on my other fics as well! The next few chapters will start to build up to… stuff. Hopefully nothing dark (hue hue hue). As well as develop Shizuru and Natsuki's friendship. I say friendship because I don't want things to be like love at first sight or anything, but there's a few ShizNat moments here and there dealing with attraction, mostly on Shizuru's side. Aoi and Chie are listed as a pairing but we've yet to see any of it, but rest assured it is going to come later on! ;)_

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Shizuru heard a stifled cry, first taking it as a dream. She began drifting off once more, but a second, quieter cry accompanied the first. She jerked awake. "Natsuki?" Quickly raising herself on her elbows, she rubbed her eyes and blinked a few times, sight meeting darkness. The cap over the cave's open ceiling blocked any moonlight from flooding in. Natsuki, being able to see through the dark, had no problem navigating through. Shizuru, however, could not to save her life.

She felt the rocky ground of the cave beneath the thin padding, the bed she slept in laid out on the ground near the fire pit. She and Natsuki had begun alternating between sleeping on the floor and sleeping in the alcove with the softer bedding until Natsuki could manage to craft up a better bed for Shizuru. It was the fair thing they could think of instead of making one person sleep on the ground. _We really need to figure out a better alternative_ , she thought, twisting around in bed and feeling her back pop. She let out an out of character groan. Although the wolf did not mind sleeping on the floor, the knight could only handle so much until her back began hurting.

The brunette squinted, eyes adjusting to the darkness, and stared a few feet off where the wolf should have been sleeping. Shizuru, however, did not see Natsuki. Wanting to double check, she reached around her 'bed', fingers hopelessly groping around. Finally, the texture of wood reached her fingertips and she took the torch beside her. She lit it and the fire roared to life, instantly illuminating the cave and casting an array of shadows along the uneven rocky surface. Turning the torch towards the other bed, Shizuru lifted a brow. No Natsuki. She instantly worried of her whereabouts.

She did not know why she was so concerned the younger girl was missing. She could just be taking a stroll. Or using the bathroom. The bathroom would make sense. The past five nights she had stayed with Natsuki, Shizuru noticed she was a rather heavy sleeper that gave no regards to the noises around her. She learned that the hard way, having to use the bathroom herself one night. That night Shizuru crashed through most of the objects in the cave—fire pit, weapon rack, table, bucket, and all—which contradicted the usual gracefulness that people so heavily associated with her. But, hey, she was only human after all. Despite the noise, the wolf still did not wake up. In the morning, though, they made the decision to give Shizuru a torch so the mess could be avoided again.

The knight smiled slightly remembering the event a few nights ago and then it disappeared recalling the small Orphan that lurked outside two nights prior. Natsuki did not sleep through the attack, but rather woke up before it ever happened. The creature escaped, leaving the two on alert ever since. So perhaps Natsuki only slept through the events that proved harmless to her and could feel anything dangerous approaching—a sixth sense if you will, sleeping in such a hazardous area.

Remembering the orphan, Shizuru rose to her feet and grabbed her belt attached with a knife. She walked to the cave entrance, carefully watching her step along the way. She needed to make sure Natsuki was alright. Surely the Orphan would be no difficult task for someone as strong as Natsuki, but it could have a surprise up its sleeve or more Orphans could appear. Their unpredictability and sheer numbers usually made them more dangerous than the more advanced or larger Orphans. Brushing aside the cloth at the entrance, Shizuru looked to the ground and paused, taking a step back.

The chopped logs and sticks from the rack laid scattered all over the ground, as well as the axe. The brunette eyed it with caution and continued along the short corridor. The full moonlight shined over the outside sparring ground of Natsuki's dwelling, allowing Shizuru to see nothing precarious was at its end. Quietly, Shizuru stepped over the scattered logs and sticks and made it to the end of the corridor. A dark figure suddenly appeared from the side and she jumped. The figure jumped as well and covered her eyes, "Oi! That's bright get it out of my face!"

"Ara, Natsuki!" Shizuru pulled back the torch, literally just inches away from Natsuki's face and apologized. She put a hand to a chest, the sudden jump scare sending her heart racing. _They are **too** fast!_ "Are you alright?"

"I will be if my eyebrows are still here!" Natsuki lifted a brow, startled herself by the knight's sudden appearance. She rubbed a hand over forehead. Good. Eyebrows still there. The wolf then shrugged and let her shoulders fall, "Otherwise, why wouldn't I be?" The emerald eyes flicked to the side and then back to Shizuru. She was dragging a foot around in the loose dirt. Fidgeting too much.

Shizuru noticed, but hardly gave any regard to it at first and just motioned with her head to the mess behind her, "I just saw this and was quite concerned,"

Natsuki looked at the mess and waved it off, "I heard the noise earlier and woke up. I went to check on it, but I am sure it was just an animal. It is nothing dangerous. And since you ask a lot of questions: I went to pee afterwards." Her hands came up to rest behind her head, her expression exhausted. Shizuru did ask a lot of questions to the point the bluenette could predict what would be asked next. She didn't blame Shizuru for the load of questions—call it 'human curiosity'—but sometimes it was just too much, "We'll clean it up tomorrow."

She began moving her foot again, lightly kicking around the dirt and the noise finally drew Shizuru's attention for a brief moment. She peered down and saw the dirty bare feet, but then… _Ara, is that blood?_ Shizuru glanced from Natsuki's face to her foot. Blood speckled her from toe to shin and Shizuru did not know what to make of it. Surely if the moon were not full, Shizuru would have missed the detail in the dim light entirely, "Did Natsuki go after it? There is blood on your feet."

Natsuki looked down at her dirt and blood covered feet and gave an exasperated groan, "I must have stepped on someone's kill! Well at least it was something dead and not animal sh—"

"Hai, hai, I get it," The knight interrupted with a cough, the image of stepping on animal droppings barefooted almost gag worthy to her. She turned around and began walking back inside, "It's still the middle of the night, shall we go back in?"

Natsuki smirked and, holding back a chuckle, followed her in.

* * *

Hours had passed and the two were already out and about well before the sun was halfway through the sky. Shizuru smiled feeling both heat and wind. The constant warmth she received from the sun was something Artai would hardly get for another month or two. The wind blew through her damp hair and skin covered in sweat, cooling her down as she attacked the invisible opponent in front of her. She breathed in and out rhythmically to the powerful movements of her arms and legs, adding to the track marks in Natsuki's practice ground in front of the cave entrance.

Natsuki sat perched on top of the cave entrance, watching with great interest as she snacked on a handful of berries. The style was different from what she was used to seeing. Slow, gradual, even meditative, but oddly having an appearance of power in a subtle way. Like looking at and using weapons, she enjoyed observing fights and individual fighting styles. She wondered how Shizuru's style would fare against her own. Not to mention it strangely added more… gracefulness or elegance to the brunette's image. Whereas the Kuga's way of fighting was rather brutal and straightforward. She was quite in awe of the human's beauty she hosted, "Oi, weirdo." She jumped from her perch and landed firmly in the dirt a few feet from Shizuru.

Shizuru paused from her drills and gave Natsuki her full attention, all too used to being called a weirdo already. Though she personally wished to hear her name more often, as well, "Yes, Natsuki?" She asked, lifting the bottom of her shirt to wipe the sweat off her forehead. The younger girl's eyes widened slightly at the sight and the same flustered expression Shizuru loved so much appeared. Natsuki averted her gaze as if she were intruding by seeing the little skin that was just exposed. _Ara, why do I tease her so? It's just adorable how her face changes color like that!_ She, however, decided to stop antagonizing her host and let the shirt slowly fall past the sweaty skin covering her toned abdomen.

Bringing a hand to her head, Natsuki gathered herself and the color disappeared from her cheeks once more, "Are you really able to defeat someone like that? I mean, you're moving quite slow. It doesn't look much like fighting at all." She questioned curiously. Certainly it wasn't as intense as when she trained herself, but she wanted to understand the principle behind Shizuru's slow movements, "Can you go against me?"

The brunette tilted her head, "Ara, but Natsuki is already much stronger by default. I don't think it would matter how skilled I am." She watched as Natsuki removed her dark blue and black trimmed vest.

That day was one of the rare occasions that Natsuki wore a proper shirt rather than a sleeveless vest and bra. It made sense to Shizuru, seeing countless transformations from various wolves since she came, that they needed as loose clothing as possible to prevent tearing. So vests and baggy trousers were a common sight, complete with either personal design, beads, thread, or silver accessories. That, Shizuru found rather ironic. Human mythology told of werewolves having an affliction to silver, but Natsuki laughed until she could not breathe hearing the tales. It was a rather embarrassing recollection, but they were learning from one another, separating myth from fact.

For her kind, Natsuki was rather modest and would refuse to reduce herself to anything more than a bra and trousers. Shizuru had seen many women roam around completely topless, maybe with a sash draped over their shoulder, but still! She could never get over it, even after the initial shock. And their beauty. What was with every shapeshifter turning out to be oddly good-looking? Attractive even.

Shizuru was interrupted from her internal musings by the sound of rustling cloth. After throwing the vest aside, Natsuki pulled her shirt over her head fell into a stance, hands closed into fists guarding her face and feet spread. Shizuru's eyes were drawn to biceps and then muscular abdomen _. Ara, this is bad. I need to stop doing this, but I can't help it. Natsuki is a rather beautiful girl…_ Shizuru thought, far too distracted at the moment to observe Natsuki's stance.

"Oi, don't worry about our strength imbalance, just come at me." Natsuki said simply, watching as Shizuru snapped out of her thoughts for what Natsuki noticed was the millionth time that day and fell into her own stance as well, complying with a nod.

"As you wish, Natsuki." Shizuru then fell silent and her eyes did not leave Natsuki's. Diana squawked, George whinnied nearby, and some of the village sounds broke through the trees, but otherwise the air around them was rather quiet. Shizuru stood as still as a statue and, seeing the brunette eye her up and down, Natsuki understood she wanted her to make the first move.

Not seeing the harm in moving first since she wanted to figure out Shizuru's fighting style, Natsuki accepted the silent gesture. She slowly moved forward towards Shizuru, keeping an eye on any movement. But there was none. She tested out a swift jab and then another, careful to lessen the force for Shizuru's sake. Shizuru deflected both, seeming to move aside Natsuki's fists easily, rather than actually block. Natsuki nearly stumbled after the second jab from her own momentum, as if a wave that was Shizuru's palms passed her arms by and redirected her. Her eyebrow twitched. _I know I was going to hold back, but…_ Natsuki moved again.

Briefly she disappeared and Shizuru blinked, _I thought she was going to hold back?!_ The shapeshifters were far too fast and far too strong, a disadvantage Shizuru had to deal with. Something of an electric shock ran through the back of her body and the brunette instantly turned to meet Natsuki's burning emerald eyes. She did hold back. Slightly. It was only enough for Shizuru to see her, eyes trained enough to pick up the speed the wolf moved at. Natsuki leaned in looking to strike with her right elbow, her other arm carefully guarding her face and side. Shizuru's palms met her arm.

 _Oof._

Natsuki fell with a thud and blinked. The wolf was sprawled out on her stomach unable to move with Shizuru pinning her from on top, holding her arms firmly behind her back. Technically she could throw her off with sheer strength alone, but she was supposed to be holding back. She tried to throw Shizuru off. _What..?_ She felt completely numb in the arms and shoulders, "Ara, I honestly wasn't expecting to succeed. Natsuki is too fast." Shizuru's voice was lower for some reason, her mouth right beside Natsuki's ear. The wolf shivered. Shizuru smiled slightly at the reaction. She was pleased to display some strength to the wolf, rather than her general human weakness in comparison to the shapeshifters.

"Okay, you officially scare me now. How are you doing this?" Natsuki asked, trying to sound as calm as possible. She began to feel a tingling in her arms and shoulders as Shizuru loosened her grip. Eventually feeling returned and relief washed over her. Shizuru got off Natsuki's back and the two stood. A glimmer was in the green eyes, "Scary but amazing! Can you teach me?"

"It's simply something I was taught while in training," The absolute joy and interest Natsuki displayed amused Shizuru immensely. Just like a cute child. Shizuru nodded at the request, "I can start teaching you if you teach me your way. I feel if you didn't hold back it'd be rather brutal." She smiled, truly glad she would never be at the receiving end of Natsuki's wrath. Hopefully.

"We like to use our elbows, knees, and shins to inflict damage. It is pretty brutal sometimes," Natsuki crossed her arms, looked to the side in thought. She then met the crimson eyes she still found so weirdly fascinating on the human. The color was especially rare for her kind as well. She then suggested, "Say, the spring equinox festival is coming up in three weeks. It's a weeklong celebration and we hold rope fist fights here for sport. Maybe you should enter with me?"

Shizuru blinked, "Ara, but surely your weakest member is much stronger than the strongest human. I would not last in the arena with your people." She said, completely baffled Natsuki would ask her to go against people far above her league.

Natsuki instantly shook her head, "We have humans who fight separately as well."

The brunette looked at her, brow raised.

"There are humans that live in the forest. Although very, and I mean _very_ , few. They have been accepted and are welcome here like anyone else." Natsuki had personally not met one until Shizuru, but knew about the few humans living off the forest in similar ways they did. They thankfully minded their business like anyone else and would often just disappear after gatherings such as the festival. She had never seen them fight in the festival tourneys since she was always competing herself. Though, from what she heard they were extremely skilled. Shizuru seemed on that level. "They'll be here around the festival time so you should really test your skills because that was _amazing_."

"Ara, is that so?" Shizuru was intrigued to hear a few humans were living alongside the Kagean residents. She wondered what had to be done to be accepted into the place they were, "I will do it, then," She smiled. It would give her something to do, sharpen her competitive edge, keep her from rusting, and give her the opportunity to learn more from Natsuki. Maybe she would also have the opportunity to learn from the human residents of the Kagean as well. Realizing she had yet to get a full demonstration of the fighting art Shizuru smiled and reminded Natsuki, "Will you show me now?"

Natsuki nodded, "Great. Now if we train you well, maybe you'll win! Or maybe you can win now," the younger girl shrugged and then looked around the area of her sparring ground. Dirt speckled her chest and trousers from falling and she brushed it off, "If I'm going to show you, I should probably use someone else. I don't really want to hurt you…" She mumbled shyly.

"Aw, Natsuki cares!" Shizuru clasped her hands together with a smile, causing the girl to blush a little more.

"Yeah, right, weirdo! I just can't have you dying or getting hurt under my watch! That'd make me a bad host," Natsuki scoffed, arms crossed. She went back to thinking about how to demonstrate their style to Shizuru. Maybe find someone in the village with some time? She felt bad for pulling time out of someone's day for that. Perhaps someone at the arena would be practicing themselves?

Seeing Natsuki had retreated into her thoughts once more, Shizuru felt a slight pain in her chest, _Ara, just a host? So I guess I was mistaken about being friends?_ She sighed and tried to throw it in the back of her mind. Natsuki did say she would give Shizuru a chance. All the things she said the second day Shizuru was there must have meant they were friends. She did not know why Natsuki's words stung so, knowing well that was how the young wolf typically acted all the time with her. She looked up, Natsuki's grumbling pulling her out of thought.

Aoi suddenly appeared from the treeline, a package cradled in her arms. Natsuki had seen her without even looking behind and perked up, calling out with an unintentionally loud voice, "Aoi!"

Natsuki's voice startled her and she jumped slightly, "H—Hi? Long time no s—"

The bluenette spun around, her face and pose almost comedic as she held out a fist towards a confused Aoi, "Fight me!"

The blue-eyed brunette lifted a brow, nearly letting the package slip from her hands, "Ha?"

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _So short chapter here, I'm sorry if it was a bit dry, too. At least I'm under the impression it is. I am very tired and wanted to write more, but I'm gonna split this day up. Wonder why Natsuki was so fidgety? Also she's very competitive and obviously loves to fight hehe. And so we also have the knight beginning to check out the beauty. Come on Shizuru!_


	7. Raid

**_A/N:_** _Man, I have only one thing to say: Frick responsibilities._

 _Honestly, I wasn't expecting so many things to happen when I came home. It's been hell. I could only manage something short like Family Day since it's a rather short and simple thing to write, not as time consuming as Wolf's Heart. Seeing that the last chapter is getting more and more views, I needed to get going again. So here I wanted to make this chapter just a bit longer to make up for the hiatus!_

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

 _As a human, do not worry about your weakness compared to us. Your presence here alone is shifting everything and you, a human, will bring about great change for all of us. Physical weakness will be nothing compared to the power you have between our people._

* * *

"Ha?" Aoi, caught off guard, nearly dropped the package in her hands. She panicked to regain grasp of it and once having a proper grip she hugged it close with a sigh. The blue eyes met the two women quite seriously as she responded to Natsuki's challenge with a shake of her head, "I don't feel much like fighting, Natsuki…"

Natsuki stood straight, her fist dropping to her side and unfolding slightly. _Don't feel like fighting? But we always fight._ Sparring was the more correct term since she and Aoi hardly ever argue. They always sparred with each other, from childhood to present. It was the first time Natsuki ever recalled being turned down for a match, as she had never rejected Aoi either. Looking at Aoi's eyes they were slightly averted as any creature that didn't want to challenge the one in front of them, Natsuki nodded. _That one day's still bothering her, huh?_

"I'll fight you in Aoi's stead." A voice from behind Aoi drew their attention. A shorter girl walked out. Her raven hair, a slightly darker shade than Natsuki, was braided on each side with the rest of it tied into a short messy ponytail in the back. Amber brown eyes observed Natsuki, and then Shizuru, with the same vicious and untamed glint that Shizuru associated in Natsuki's eyes at times.

They, well Shizuru, did not notice her until she spoke and stepped out beside Aoi. The wolves were oddly silent and Aoi motioned for Shizuru to stay by her as Natsuki and the girl distanced themselves from on another at each end of the dirt practice ground. An intense stare down began and Shizuru looked at Natsuki with even greater intrigue. _Natsuki really does love to fight…_ She found it admirable that the girl had something she was dedicated to. Aoi stood in the middle, palms outward towards the two challengers, "Don't draw blood now, you two." They got into identical stances—fists guarding their faces, one foot in front of the other, knees slightly bent.

"No promises." Natsuki shrugged.

"Hmp." The girl's expression did not change. _She's a cold one,_ Shizuru thought, crossing her arms as she spectated.

Aoi rolled her eyes at Natsuki and her hands fell to her sides. She stepped back and returned to Shizuru's side, instantly beginning the fight. The two girls did not waste any time at all and instantly rushed at each other. Shizuru saw the way they fought was a type of boxing, heavily favoring the use of their elbows, knees, and shins to make the strikes. She found it almost cringe worthy thinking about how much time it took to condition their shins to even take that much damage, no less inflict it. Natsuki seemed to be fonder of her fists and elbows, while the girl concentrated more on moving faster than Natsuki to compensate for her shorter reach. For a while, they did well deflecting and avoiding each other's strikes, but soon it was evident Natsuki was beginning to overpower the girl.

"Ara, Natsuki is a true believer in brute force." Shizuru said more to herself than Aoi beside her. Although very fast, from what Shizuru learned spending the first week with Natsuki, she was definitely even stronger. Without a doubt, the girl would brawl with anyone any day without needing any reason.

The defending girl simply began blocking Natsuki's strikes with her arms. An uncomfortable frown formed on her face as each strike from Natsuki seemed to grow stronger and stronger, seeming to shake the girl's entire body. Shizuru just cringed slightly thinking how awful it must be to be on the receiving end of Natsuki's wrath like that. Aoi, sitting on the ground now, just leaned back on her hands, "Natsuki is about to get hit… whoa!" her eyes suddenly widened as _POW_ , the sound of an impact and the two girls letting out pained grunts sent the two spectators standing straight.

As Natsuki had thrown her right fist for yet another strike on the defending girl, the girl stepped in, sped past Natsuki's unguarded left arm, got behind her, pulled back Natsuki's shoulders and struck her in the center of the lower back with her knee. As the strike sent her forward a bit, Natsuki pivoted on her foot, striking the girl in the side of the face with the back of her left fist.

The wolf ended it with a stumble backwards and as the girl shook her head, dazed from the strike to the face, Natsuki charged forward. Recovering, the girl's eyes widened as Natsuki's body collided heavily with hers.

Shizuru saw the fist fight turn into a desperate grappling match as Natsuki had the struggling girl in a tight hold. The hold seemed impossible to break free of and Aoi, deciding enough was enough, tapped on Shizuru's shoulder and they stepped up. Some blood had already been drawn, bruises especially, and that was one thing she did _not_ want to happen. Placing a hand on Natsuki's chest, Aoi pulled her away and Shizuru helped the younger girl stand. One wiped their mouth, the other rubbed their back, "That's enough you two," she sighed, "You're both getting too riled up."

"Agh… well you're getting better. That's for sure," Natsuki pointed at the girl and then spoke to Aoi, "Sorry, if I beat your little sister _too_ bad."

Despite the initial compliment, the girl just scowled at the second statement, still rubbing the side of her face, "I'm fine! I could have kept fighting!" she growled as the group made their way to the small pond.

"I could have held you there _all day_ , pup." Natsuki scoffed with a grin.

"My, this is quite some rivalry I see here." Shizuru smiled.

Aoi let out an exasperated sigh, all too familiar with it, "You don't know the half of it. They have been like this for years."

The brunette handed a cloth to the younger girl and gave a pat on the back to Natsuki.

"Ow! Shizuru!" Natsuki growled. George suddenly appeared next to Natsuki and she stared sourly, "What are you looking at, weirdo horse?"

"Kanin na, Natsuki," Shizuru giggled, "George likes you. Don't mind him. Just don't let him get your hair," She knew Natsuki was fine and a rough pat on the back always seemed like the people's way of telling each other 'good job'. Actually, any sort of rough hit on the back or armed seemed to mean that—that Shizuru learned from Natsuki always doing it to her after hitting a target while hunting. _Always._ This was sort of payback. The brunette just smiled and, as George began nibbling on Natsuki's hair which sent her into hysterics, Shizuru turned her attention to the girl who handed her back the cloth, "Are you sure you're okay? Natsuki was a bit merciless."

"Ah, I'm fine… I'm used to this." The girl sighed.

Aoi whispered to Shizuru, "She really is. She always loses."

The girl turned around, red faced and fuming, "Aoi!" she turned back and crossed her arm with a slight growl, "My name is Nina by the way…. I am Aoi's younger sister. Half-sister if you are wondering." They really did not resemble one another. _Interesting…_ Shizuru noted mentally. She figured if she looked hard enough maybe, just maybe, she could find some sort of family resemblance.

"We have different mothers that we each take to more than our father." Aoi explained.

"Aoi, you look like father, what are you talking about?"

"If you say so," the younger brunette smiled slightly.

Shizuru held out a hand, "Well, I am Shizuru. It's a pleasure to meet you Nina," She smiled, successfully remembering to leave out the confusing formal titles.

Nina just stared at the hand. After a few seconds, she lifted a finger and tapped a finger on Shizuru's outstretched hand. An awkward silence blew over as Aoi stifled a laugh and Natsuki stood between the two, staring intently. "You're doing it wrong." The bluenette grumbled, ignoring the horse saliva slowly dripping down her shoulder. She held Nina and Shizuru's wrists and brought their hands together, "Shake." Hands still on their wrists, she shook their hands up and down and beamed proudly. She knew how to do something no one else knew! Well, Aoi already knew. So yeah. Still.

"Natsuki it's just a handshake." Aoi laid down on the ground with a grin.

"Oi, let me have my moment."

"I see… interesting," Nina looked down at the joined hands and then let go, "It is good to meet you, too. I have heard a lot about you."

"Oh? So everyone seems to…" Shizuru sighed. Even after nearly a week, the hype about the human visitor has not died down. She wished she could simply blend in but she expected it to be impossible to begin with.

"Speaking of," Aoi sat up and grabbed the package she had initially carried in. Extending it towards Shizuru who accepted it into her hands, she said, "some women in the village made you a few sets of our clothes. Just so you have more than that to wear."

Shizuru looked down at the wrapped clothing and undid the ties slightly. She ran her fingers over the fabric, some thin leather, some woven silk. The silk pieces were a strong crimson red with accents and embroideries of gold. The leather clothing had duller red accented into it, fading into the hardened skin. Shizuru, awed by the craft, felt the ladies that made them should not have gone out of their way to provide these to her. She looked up, "Ara, these are beautiful! I really must thank them when I have a chance."

Aoi smiled slightly, "I knew you'd like it. They said the color was used because of your eyes."

"They are the most noticeable thing about you," Natsuki, wiping off the horse saliva in the pond, nodded. Not to mention her eyes gave off the impression of a certain… strength. Much like what the color stood for itself, "You might get to thank them today. We're headed into the village later remember?"

"Ara, yes! Shall we go now?"

Natsuki allowed Shizuru to put up the package inside and gather her belt attached with a pouch and waterskin. The bluenette found it rather amusing Shizuru was so gleeful about wearing the clothes for the first time tomorrow. Coming outside, Aoi and Nina went their separate ways from them and Shizuru led the horse alongside her. Leaving the pond by Natsuki's home and breaking through the woodline into village, the ordinary scene welcomed them.

Visitors from other places always seemed to be around, bringing in new items, new food their area could not grow. Seeing certain fruits, Shizuru noticed some of the visitors were from the other side of the mountain! Southwards past the mountain range near Zipang had numerous fruits growing; they were like a luxury up in Artai. Especially with the forest separating Artai and forcing trade to go around it or through sea. George jumped at the passing of a large bear-like shape shifter carrying a bundle of bananas and lychee. He walked on hind legs, towering over a transformed wolf, and something that appeared to be steel armor covered him. Shizuru calmed George quickly and looked on in awe, careful not to stare too long, "Amazing."

"What's amazing, Shizuru?" Natsuki turned, walking backwards, lifting a brow. She seemed quite as bored as usual. It _was_ a pretty normal day. They settled into routine quite nicely, no different from a daily patrol for Shizuru around castle grounds. Back when she was still at the castle, at least. This time she had a friend to walk alongside and not boring ol' Yuuichi. In all honesty, Natsuki herself liked having the company of Shizuru. What she initially thought would be an inconvenience has actually been… _fun._

"All the different people here." Shizuru smiled and they slowed to a halt to hand George over to someone who would fit him for new shoes and groom him.

They left and continued on. Natsuki shrugged, "We all share this place."

"Except with us." Shizuru stated. She could see they were nearing the mountain base. Natsuki wanted to go ahead and sign them up for the aforementioned tourneys at the upcoming festival, as well as visit the blacksmith to retrieve Shizuru's naginata. She kept a watchful eye out for the elderly women that made her the wonderful clothes, but saw no sign of them. Not yet at least.

"Hm, well." Natsuki looked over her shoulder, making no denial of it, "There's some of you. Mother and father never told me about what happened. They said it'll do me no good to be young and angry over something that's already passed. It is a little taboo to talk about too, apparently." She shrugged.

"Ara, young and angry is still right," Natsuki gave a sour stare and stuck out her tongue. Shizuru giggle, "My, I still wonder what happened still. It is also taboo for our people to speak of. Most do not even know."

"I wonder, too. Maybe we can coax it out of someone, eh?"

Shizuru nodded in agreement, feeling Natsuki's hand come to rest on her back with a smile.

Unlike the first day she arrived, no one seemed to pay as much mind to Shizuru. Talk still went around at times. She still got the occasional looks—some curious, some friendly, and some not so friendly—but they all left her in peace nonetheless. Some were kind enough to stop and speak to her, but Shizuru saw the most open minded individuals present were either the children or the young adults who knew nothing. Mixed reactions came from the elderly that have already experienced association with humans long ago.

Shizuru did not want to be associated with the mistakes people of the past made so she sought to prove at least she was different. So far she had successfully done well with Natsuki and Aoi. Nina, too, seemingly. A simple gesture such as Natsuki's hand on her back made her hope her first friend there would hopefully be a longtime friend out there. Even when she leaves.

"So no backing out on me, right?" Natsuki's arms crossed as they approached the mountain base.

There, a large arena stood enclosed by several posts and rope thicker than Shizuru's palms could wrap around. "Never." Shizuru responded, earning a sound of approval from Natsuki. Smaller ropes inside the arena separated it into four smaller sections. Some of them were occupied by men sparring and practicing.

Natsuki pointed inside it casually, "These ropes will come down during the festival and split it in half. One arena for us, the other for you." It made sense. Taking down the ropes completely would just leave too large of a space than necessary for two people to fight in. Leaning against the thick rope with a sword over his back was the young man Shizuru remembered from the first night she arrived, "Oi, Takeda."

He jumped and turned, "N—Natsuki, good afternoon. What brings you here?" A blush appeared to show on his dark skin. That, Shizuru never noticed before.

"Where's your father? Me and Shizuru wanted to enter." Natsuki said, pointing a thumb back at Shizuru. His father, and not Takeda, was in charge of the arena, as well as training others to fight.

Takeda looked rather disappointed it was not a social visit. Then again, it never was with Natsuki, "He's not here right now, but…" his eyes stared at Natsuki with a little more than what Shizuru was comfortable with. Her eyes lowered, but her smile still remained. She did not like it. Not one bit. But moreover, she did not know why she was getting so worked up over it. _My, am I jealous?_ Shizuru asked herself. The young man obviously fancied Natsuki, which came as _no_ surprise. She was beautiful, smart, strong, and soft when you know her. It really came as no surprise that any man would want her. Or woman…. Takeda stopped leaning on the rope, "he left me in charge for the next few hours. I'll take care of it for you."

"Thanks," Natsuki waved with Shizuru tailing behind.

Shizuru looked over her shoulder once to see him still staring. But, making eye contact with Takeda, he swallowed hard and turned around red-faced. Shizuru held her hands behind her back and leaned forward, looking at Natsuki, "Ara, something was there alright."

Headed to the blacksmith now, Natsuki lead them straight on the path to it, weaving through the passing villagers, "What was there?" she looked confused, "Did you see something pass by?"

Shizuru sighed. _Quite the oblivious one._ She shook her head, "Takeda-san, I mean."

Natsuki still did not catch on, "Yes, he was there?" she rubbed her head, looking straight at Shizuru. She accidentally bumped into another tribesmen and apologized to him in a tongue Shizuru could not understand. Her brow raised. They had established days ago that the forest had its own language, but a very long time ago they had learned the human tongue as well. Interacting with humans at one point, the native language almost died out in some places, but has recently been revived, "I mean, he's a warrior so usually he wouldn't be there."

Sighing once again, Shizuru rubbed her forehead, "Ara… I meant, he looked very interested in you, Natsuki. He likes you. However, you do not seem to like him much."

"Eh?" Natsuki snorted and held a hand to her mouth, "Oh, no. Not that idiot! I mean I already knew, but," she laughed, glancing to the side for a moment to make sure they were walking in the right direction. They were close, now. Smoke from the outdoor smith stacked high into the sky.

"Then…?"

"No! No, no, no," Natsuki shook her head, waving it off, "I'd rather get mauled by Orphans than pair with that idiot! Besides, I'm—"

"Ah, Natsuki!" she was cut short by a greeting from the smith. They approached it much faster than she judged before. The smith, transformed, was a large, white-furred beast with traces of smoke, ash, and coal on him. The only thing large about him was his arms from his work, and his gut. He was not as skinny or lean as the others. Shizuru could tell he was at least as old as Saeko and Gouu, if not older, from the fact he greeted her with a slight bow in which Shizuru returned, "I am Yamada. You're the much talked about guest from Artai. Shizuru, correct?"

"I am. You seem to know quite a lot."

He gave a short chuckle, "Indeed. Natsuki always comes to me if she needs information. I welcome you to do the same if you're ever in need of help."

"I'll remember that,"

"Of course, you won't need to right?" Natsuki rested her hands behind her head and walked up, "You've got me."

Shizuru smiled at that, "Hai, that's absolutely right. Natsuki has already been a wonderful help."

"That's good to hear you two are getting along, at least," Yamada walked into the open shop with the two following behind. Personally, it was surprising to him Natsuki got along with anyone besides Aoi and Nina. They stood at the outer edge waiting, the heat from furnace warming their faces. He soon returned with Shizuru's naginata. She accepted it into her hands, surprised to find it lighter. Whatever Yamada had done to it, the blade was also a dark, shining red now, "It was meant to be returned to you right away, but seeing something I've never worked on before I couldn't help myself! I reinforced it for you so it's lighter, sharper, if you don't mind me doing so."

She shook her head, "Not at all. Thank you, Yamada," She smiled, truly admiring the renewed weapon, its color, and the feel of the blade as she ran her finger along. Any more pressure as she touched it, she would have cut herself.

Yamada's ears pricked up as a few howls broke through the forest from nearby. Everyone surrounding them, perhaps the entire village, froze and listened, each face growing grave. Some broke into a run, "Well, it seems you could put that to use soon enough." He gave a toothy grin.

"Wait, what?" Shizuru looked back and forth at both, confused.

Natsuki's face formed into deeper scowl than ever and she shook her head stepping between the two, "No, she will not,"

The smith's eyes lowered with a sigh, "With all due respect, she is more capable than you think. Do not try to keep her from it." Yamada said lowly, entering his smith once more and pulling a tarp off the ground, "Excuse me, I must get back to work," Underneath were several forged weapons that he picked up in each hand.

Men and women that Shizuru once identified as warriors, and some hunters, rushed past and took weapons from Yamada's hands while doing so. They then disappeared off into the forest. People she identified as children, elderly, or just weak, began falling back deeper into the village with part of the force staying to provide protection.

From all this, Shizuru could very much deduce that an attack was near. And to have so many warriors, and even call on the help of hunters, it was big. Natsuki picked up one of Yamada's weapons which was a sword without a guard and a slightly curve blade, "That was a warning telling us a hoard is very close. Shizuru, you fall back with the others."

Finally understanding what Yamada meant by herself being 'capable' and 'not to be kept from it', Shizuru shook her head, "Natsuki, I can go with you. It sounds like a large attack, you'll need all the help you can get. I can help fight them," she stepped up, gripping the new naginata in her hand.

Natsuki turned around with bared teeth and a growl that took Shizuru by surprise. Truly, her mood could take a dangerous turn so quickly, "No, you can't fight them! It's too dangerous for the likes of you and I'm not letting you!"

 _'The likes of you'?_ Shizuru, being Natsuki's elder and with all the pride and upbringing of a knight, a warrior foremost, felt insulted by Natsuki's words. She had experience in dealing with the Orphans as early as the start of her teenage years, just as much with people, and here the wolf was treating her like a little _squire_ again. A fledgling. Yamada, her parents, Aoi; all have already placed confidence and credit to her skill and profession despite her species. Why wasn't Natsuki? Her voice suddenly lowered, "Ara, so you think this human is weak…?"

"I'm saying you won't be able to handle this!" Natsuki slung the sword across her back. She did not realize her statement just reinforced Shizuru's thoughts, only in different words, "These things are much too strong for you, stronger than the ones you probably faced out there!" She pointed towards the forest.

 _Maybe not as strong as the Orphans of the frozen north,_ Shizuru thought. Natsuki would have no clue, living in the forest her entire life. Artai, being to the north, had part of its territory to the northernmost tip of the world. Five military posts laid across the frozen north, a few towns, and a university. Having just returned from a winter of visiting each post, she could verify the stories of the Orphans of the north being the largest and deadliest in the world, followed by the Orphans in the desert outside of Windbloom. Everything to her was an opportunity to learn— _learn or die_ —and to truly understand what Natsuki says is true or not, she would have to carefully face them and learn the behaviors of each type. Shizuru even recalled for the moment she was there in the Kagean to _learn_ first and foremost, aside from convincing them to speak to her about the King's proposal. Orphans always gave a reason to be cautious, but nonetheless, Shizuru was unimpressed. The forest limited their physical size, but the abundance of food bolstered their numbers. Orphans of the north had room to grow, possessed adaptabilities to the harsh environment, and the wisdom of surviving through the ages.

She took a few strides towards Natsuki, face just inches from the younger girl. She used what she learned the last six days with the wolves. And that was they were just as much about body language as they were with respect and cooperating as a family. But in times that required serious displays of leadership—or arguments began to divert everyone's attention from paying attention and listening—she learned standing tall and looking imposing gave you all the attention you needed to be heard.

Much to Natsuki's frustration, Shizuru _did_ intimidate her, but she did not move. Shizuru's voice did not rise or fall, as to her shouting never did much to help in any situation, "Just because I cannot do the things you do, Natsuki, does not mean I am weak."

And much to Shizuru's frustration, Natsuki was _hardheaded_. The words seemed to strike somewhat of a cord with the young woman, but did not budge her decision. Natsuki stood silent for a moment, processing what the brunette said, while people were still flooding into the forest. Just how big the hoard was, they could only imagine.

The small argument had to come to a stop as Aoi rode up on top of George and two men followed closely behind. They were already armed with dual swords, one with an additional bow, and appeared to be warriors from the markings on their bare arms and chests. Aoi jumped down and led the horse to Shizuru. Without knowing what was going on between Natsuki and Shizuru, she still provided the words to break the argument and invalidate Natsuki's declination of Shizuru fighting, "There you two are! Shizuru, you're in our group so you better saddle up we have to get going." Shizuru gave a satisfied smile as she walked towards her steed. Natsuki just frowned.

"Tch…" Natsuki crossed her arms and stood at the edge of the forest, waiting.

Aoi shot Shizuru a questioning look and the crimson-eyed beauty just waved it off, "She'll be fine."

With the saddle lacking a stirrup, Aoi assisted Shizuru in hoisting herself up on George's back. Luckily, the brunette was as skilled riding without reins or a saddle as riding fully geared. She and George communicated well. One of the men; tall, black-haired, golden-eyed, and very handsome stepped up, "My name is Reito and this is Kazuya," the other man nodded his head, his tattoos blue and white compared to the wolves' dark green and black marking on Reito's skin, "I'll be leading this group. We have quite a ways ahead of us since we're being sent to the middlemost part of the territory. Just so you know, we will have to send the horse back a few miles before getting there. The terrain will get too rough for him and we will have to slow our pace."

Looking down from the leverage George gave her, Shizuru nodded, "Understood, Reito-san,"

With that, the five made their way into the woodline and Shizuru held onto George comfortably as their speed gradually picked up. Luckily the terrain was flat and not as thick as deeper inside the forest. The only thing Shizuru had to do was keep low to avoid branches pelting her in the face. Surprisingly, George was able to keep up just fine. Both of her initial companions into the forest had changed since arriving. Stronger, faster, more communicative—as if speaking. Diana gave the impression from the beginning, but George, Shizuru knew, was not the brightest. She actually named him as such because she thought it was a silly sounding name for a silly boy. The thought of George being more responsive to her speaking made Shizuru realize she never had to guide him so far.

She caught Reito glancing back several times whenever they needed to drastically change direction in their travel. The glances were hardly directed at Shizuru, only the horse. _It could be they're speaking to each other,_ Shizuru thought. It would be no surprise to her if Reito possessed a Gift as well. He seemed intelligent to begin with, but she felt since meeting him there was a bit more to him.

"So what do you think has been causing all these hoard lately?" Kazuya spoke, breaking the silence somewhat, "My village has been getting them too, but it's just awful here!"

"I don't know, but it's been very dangerous to even leave a few miles to hunt. It's strange." Reito began, ducking under a very low branch. Shizuru had to detour around it, "I heard other villages nearby are being called to help."

"That bad, hm?" Aoi looked off to the side, "Last time was bad enough."

"I just happened to be dropping by, old friend." Kazuya smiled to Reito, "Us felines go around quite a bit."

"Felines?" Shizuru asked.

"Yep!" Kazuya held a necklace in his hand, a large tooth held by thread, "Me, the tiger family to be exact." Mentally noting he _did_ dress and act differently, as well as had different color and style warrior markings, Shizuru just nodded and continued listening.

She remembered mention of a raid just before she arrived inside the Kagean. _So, despite the numerous Orphans here, this is still uncommon._ Seeing Reito glance back again as they made a turn, Shizuru caught his gaze for a few seconds. He suddenly looked away, speaking, "Ah. Everyone that was sent out is making a thick perimeter around the territory—outer, middle, and inner circle—to hit the front of the hoard. We can only hope the outer can take care of it."

The brunette glanced up to see a group of warriors and hunters perched up in the branches, assuming they had just passed a post within the inner part of the circle. Natsuki beside her looked as well and finally spoke to her since their little argument, "Normally we have a few warriors patrol around the territory in a few miles large post; split into the outer part, the middle, and inner. They're all distanced enough from each other so they can communicate and hear one another to send messages back to the village." Natsuki explained, the concept of relaying howls to inform one another piqued Shizuru's interest further. She only wondered whether the howls were a language of its own or just something they understood through set standards of pitch and length, "'There's monsters attacking', 'strange activing', 'intruder', 'a patrolman is missing', 'someone's been found dead', that's just some of the many things they can tell each other and bring back to us."

"A truly clever system your people have," Shizuru looked forward, focusing on balancing herself on George. She figured, with time and pestering Natsuki, she too could decipher those messages. She wished so much to understand the way they spoke to one another. Even if it was as vain an effort as a human trying to verbally communicate with a regular animal, and expect it to understand.

* * *

Much time had passed and their pace began to slow. None in the group kept track of the time—they only knew the day waned quickly into early evening. The sounds of insects and birds continuing to trill and chirp at least gave them good evidence that danger was not yet present. Hopefully, the danger would not have to reach this far. Like Reito said, the terrain roughened into a raised, ridge like area surrounding them with sudden dips and draws into the ground. He said to her that a few minutes' walk down, there would be a small gorge with a river. Sudden drop offs and falls were becoming more common; a serious hazard to a large horse as well as to the person riding it. And, indeed, Shizuru eventually did spot the gorge beyond the trees and saw the aforementioned river a ways below. She saw no clear way to get down safely. Not without falling and dropping a lethal distance. The body of water appeared to go on for miles, leading southeast away from the mountain. The group slowed to a walk and Shizuru dismounted, leaving Reito to 'speak' to the horse. Soon, George turned and left back in the direction they came from.

With George's departure, they pressed onwards, careful to watch their step and watch out for the area where they would plummet down to the river, "What did you say to him?" Shizuru smiled as the handsome man returned to the group.

"You figured out I had a Gift did you?" He smiled kindly back.

"Ara, it was quite obvious. It always felt like you two were having a secret conversation every time you looked our way."

He gave an amused sound, "Is that so? Well, I had to convince him it was too dangerous to go on. He wanted to stay with you, however." He paused and looked at the beautiful woman, "I don't blame him for wanting to stay with a woman such as yourself."

Natsuki heard the entire conversation and very low-key gagged, tongue stuck out. Thankfully, being in front of them gave them no way to see her. _That guy is weird. And he plays around too much. He better stay away from her._ She growled mentally.

"My, my," Shizuru gave a slight chuckle, looking forward. Natsuki was relieved she decided to ignore the blatantly flirtatious comment. Shizuru looked forward and jumped to see a lone, spunky looking man suddenly hang upside down from a tree branch—a patrolman from what she could deduce from his dark green and black tattoos like Reito. And very much from the fact he was armed to the teeth with a sword, bow, and daggers. She expected patrolmen to have partners, but knowing now they didn't she saw their job as ten times more difficult as she already imagined.

"Ah, you've finally arrived." He greeted, crossing his arms, grasping the necklace that nearly fell when he hung upside down, "Shall we begin the waiting?" Pulling himself back up, the others joined him up above, beginning the long, exasperating wait. There was even a slight chance the attack wouldn't reach that far. Shizuru sat on the branch, back against the trunk while Natsuki perched beside her. Silently and mutually, they let go of the earlier argument for now even though Shizuru still felt insulted for the 'weakness' Natsuki thought her humanity had. It just wasn't the time.

Each were disciplined enough to sit, wait, and listen. They sat silent, no conversations stirring about to avoid distractions. Shizuru had to constantly switch between sitting and standing since her rear would go numb, but eventually she just opted to stand the rest of the time. Like the others, she constantly scanned around the area in front, occasionally to the back, affording a few glances towards the others. Towards Natsuki. A bored looking Natsuki—really no surprise there.

Looking up and past the little break in the canopy, Shizuru saw the clouds passing. She held her hand out, the air growing heavier and moister with each passing minute. _Humid…_ she closed her palm, _Rain is coming._

Two hours passed with no event unfolding in their area. Natsuki's eyes were closed, but Shizuru could tell she was awake. The deep emeralds opened again. They looked straight at Shizuru, but she spoke to everyone, "The forest is silent."

Yes, the sounds around them had faded and faded until nothing but an eerie silence was left. One could hear their own breathing and the wind picked up. Everyone stood up, high on alert and the hairs on their arms and neck standing on end. Shizuru unholstered the naginata on her back, causing the rest to draw their weapons as well, "There," the patrolman pointed, drawing back his bow string. What looked like two dozen Orphans had broken through the outer party miles away and a short, deep howl in the distance followed their sighting, "There's too many and they had to fall back. Let's get to work." The patrolman and Kazuya fired their arrows while the Orphans approached, taking out several with amazing accuracy.

Once within a few meters, they prepared to make their descent to fight. Aoi grasped her two short swords in both hands and glanced to the side. Eyes widened, "Natsuki, Shizuru! Behind you!"

The two twisted around to meet a pair of Orphans that blended well into the foliage and bark, but it was too late. The creatures pounced on them, sending them down in the path of the approaching monsters. "That's not good," Reito growled and jumped down. The others followed and the chaos the followed only worsened with another approaching wave that escaped the outer patrol. Concentrating on her hearing for a moment, Aoi could hear other sounds of other groups in combat some miles down.

On the fall, Shizuru managed to keep her head from being bitten off by thrusting the staff of her naginata into the Orphan's gnashing jaws. She threw it below her to break her fall. The shock of the fall froze it for a moment and she used the opportunity to impale its chest, killing it. Looking about, Natsuki was already on her feet slicing through the creatures with Yamada's sword and using her other arm to fend off or pin anything else that jumped at her. The others were spread fighting, however never too far from one another in case they needed help.

Besides Natsuki, Aoi stood nearby displaying incredible swordplay with the dual-wielded short swords. The amount of grace that accompanied the power the girl used would be something Shizuru could actually admire if she did not have to concentrate on the Orphans that attempted to pounce her from behind—only to earn a naginata through the bottom of the jaw and through the head.

Natsuki, furious by the surprise from behind, took it out on the Orphans to the front of her. Perhaps rather brutally with unclean cuts that burned her skin with their blood. Being next to the opening of the gorge, she threw some tumbling down the steep hill that led down and off to a sudden drop off. She occasionally glanced Shizuru's way, making sure nothing would take her from behind and noticed the knight's grace with the polearm. Natsuki killed yet another creature hoping to nab her. Glancing Shizuru's way once more, she caught Shizuru's eyes and the crimson orbs widened. The knight ran towards her.

Natsuki stumbled forward and turned while doing so, back hitting the bark as Shizuru pushed her from behind and blocked an oncoming strike. Her eyes widened knowing that strike surely would have killed her by effectively slicing her in half. Shizuru let out a grunt as, once again, the shock that ran through her arms renewed the sharp pain she felt in her wrist days earlier. It only grew worse with the Orphan pressing down with a crushing force, bringing Shizuru lower and lower to the ground, until, _shlick_. Shizuru, with a cry to overwhelm the pain she was feeling in her arms, used the strength she had stored to push upwards against the Orphan to throw it off, plant a firm kick to its chest to send it stumbling backwards, and severe its head as it fell back.

The rest moved in bullet time as Shizuru sliced _one, two, three_ Orphans approaching Natsuki and thrusted her naginata through the fourth with a last heavy breath. She leant over on the staff and looked up at Natsuki through the shadow of her bangs, "Does Natsuki still think I'm weak?" she said as she pulled her weapon out of the rapidly decaying monster. She wondered how often she would have to prove herself.

Locked with the crimson eyes, Natsuki could only think over and over again, _She saved my life…._ Her hands tightened their grip on her sword, "I…"

"Reito!"

Their heads snapped towards the direction of the men fighting, a rumble beneath their feet. Reito screamed as his arm caught inside the mouth of a large horned Orphan that charged through the trees, knocking some down, and striking Natsuki and Shizuru not paying attention in its path. The two women are sent plummeting down the hill and straight to the gorge. Smaller creatures followed them down the steep drop off, giving chase and cackling like a pack of starving hyenas.

Aoi closest to them ran and reached out for Shizuru's outstretched hand. The tips of their fingers brushed one another briefly, but Aoi lost her and could only watch helplessly as the two bodies skidded down the steep hill, "Shizuru!"

"Aoi, pay attention!" Kazuya hollered at her, struggling to break through the Orphan's tough skin. It kept trying to charge through, sending them back into the forest further from where they were originally stationed. Aoi, infuriated, left the beginning of the drop off and back to the Orphan still grasping a struggling Reito by the arm in its jaws.

* * *

Shizuru covered her face with her arms as she landed with a thud, hitting her head on something hard. She continued plummeting down the drop, hearing the cackling of the Orphans following shortly behind. With the momentum the large Orphan gave her to fall, she couldn't stop. Moreover, the naginata she had in her grasp was a danger to cutting her, or worse, as she fell, so she positioned it carefully. Shizuru looked around the cover of her arms, feeling the rocks slice tiny cuts into her arms and legs. There was nothing to grab onto. Just bare rock and flimsy plants. Natsuki. Where was Natsuki? She picked up her head slightly, using another arm to grasp the ground in hopes of slowing her body down.

She spotted the flash of blue falling and protecting herself in the same manner, the other Orphans giving chase and gnashing at her, only to miss. The knight's eyes widened spotting where the drop ended, leading to a larger drop straight down into the gorge some several feet below.

With a last, tumbling effort, Shizuru threw herself towards Natsuki and grabbed her hand, stabbing the ground with her naginata with as much strength as she could. They stopped just before the end drop off with a simultaneous relieved sigh. "Oh no," She heard Natsuki mutter. That could never be good. "Shizuru…"

The Orphans that pursued Natsuki earlier panicked to stop themselves. Some failed and flew off the edge. Some caught Natsuki and the force ripped her from Shizuru's grasp, throwing her off with them, "Natsuki!" Shizuru shouted and pounded the rock face with her fist.

"Aghh, you bastards! I swear I'm going to _kill you ALL_ when we get down there!" Shizuru heard Natsuki say as her voice faded down below.

She looked up.

"Son of a…" the remaining Orphans grabbed hold of the knight, ripping both her and her naginata out of the ground, falling below.

* * *

The horned Orphan charged once again, attempting to ram Aoi against the large tree behind. Some moments early they managed to set Reito free from its jaws and Kazuya moved him to safety some distance off. The young brunette remained and the patrolman stayed in the coverage above. She stood completely still and waited for the creature to get closer. She judged the distance carefully, "Come on." She growled. _One… two…_ _ **Boom**_. She jumped aside and the Orphan crashed into the enormous tree. It paused and finally let out frustrated cries as it realized it just got itself stuck. The creature struggled to pull itself out. It roared furiously, but its cries were silenced with the patrolman dropping from the trees above and impaling it through the heart.

Aoi regrouped with the men and knelt beside Reito, "Are you going to be okay?"

It began drizzling.

With a grunt, Reito nodded. Looking down, however, the flesh around his left arm was horribly torn and mauled. Even that would take days to heal from what they could tell with his body struggling to stop the bleeding, "I will manage. It seems the attack stopped, at least." He looked off to the side and back at her, "Listen, Aoi. The Orphan sent us back maybe four or five hundred meters, but go back and see if you can find any trace of Natsuki and Shizuru. And hurry. We're only a few hours, maybe three, from sunset. After it sets, you _know_ we won't be safe."

"Right," Aoi got up and ran back towards the spot they were originally station. She kept her weapons unsheathed and in hand just in case.

The ground in the area was torn because of the earlier fight; trees were toppled, blood coated the ground and bark, and monster corpses laid everywhere. Wherever the Orphans' blood touched—whether a bush or tree, even the soil—things began to whither. She quickly searched the flat ground in case the two somehow managed to get back up, but she knew from their scent trailing downwards they never recovered. Moreover, the rain was beginning to weaken their scents.

Peering down the drop off, she could see the downwards struggle they had. Beyond the edge of the drop off she saw nothing, her vision limited and obscured by the rock face and trees within the gorge. Despite wanting to make her way carefully down to peer over the drop off, the rain made the rock face too slippery and dangerous to tread on. Aoi held her forehead, not knowing what to do if her friends were dead at the bottom of that gorge. She _needed_ to get down there with a group soon.

Calming herself with one deep breath, Aoi perked up, "No, I'm sure they're fine… Natsuki is too damn hardheaded to die and Shizuru is Shizuru! We'll find them soon." She nodded, assuring herself.

A rustling sound in the foliage some meters away drew Aoi's attention. She quickly turned around, seeing a gray hooded figure just standing there. Watching. The rain breaking through the canopy just seemed to roll off the fabric of the cloak while Aoi was getting soaked from head to toe. From what she could make out from the distance, the figure was tall, looking back at her with familiar golden eyes. Other details, she couldn't make out. Not even male or female. "You…" she whispered, feeling a pang in her chest.

It hurt.

It hurt so much looking at that person.

She stepped forward and the cloaked figure began walking away, "W—Wait!" Aoi veered off course, pursing the person. For that one moment, she forgot about everything. The fight, Reito's condition, Natsuki and Shizuru. She was desperate to catch up and began to feel her eyes burn. Every step closer made the onset of tears worse. The brunette brought a blood-stained hand up to cover her mouth as she saw one last and closer glimpse of the figure turning to look at her before it disappeared. "Oh, no…"

Searching the surrounding, thick foliage, Aoi found no trace of the person. She yelled as hard as she could through the loud, pouring rain, "Why are you doing this to me?! Haven't I learnt my lesson already?!" Aoi dropped the weapons in her hands and leaned against a nearby stump, letting herself fall to the ground. She held her head in her hands, "Haven't I… we… suffered enough…?" She asked herself in a near whisper, inhaling sharply as the burning at her eyes and the pain in her chest worsened and worsened until she just could not bear it anymore. She let herself sit there and cry, ignoring the calls of her companions off in the distance.

Just for this moment.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Ughh it pains me SO MUCH to be writing Aoi so angsty. I love her so much. And as usual she's going to pick herself up very quickly because she can't have anyone knowing what's going on with her~ and for Natsuki and Shizuru's sake. I promise. I'm going to use tonight to go over the other chapters, fix mistakes, and whatnot. Chapter 8 is also already being written, you can probably expect that in a day or two. Good stuff happens in that…._


	8. What's Wrong With Us?

**A/N:** How are you guys? It's been a while. Here is an update as promised a few days ago. I did not want to upload everything at once as this is a short chapter to help me get into the flow of things again ^^ More to come!

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Aoi ignored the calls of Reito and Kazuya for the moment. She wiped her eyes, letting raindrops replace the tears down her cheeks. It soaked her hair, making strands cling to her face and neck. If it were not for the rain she would not know what to do other than disappear so that no one saw her weakened and pathetic state. Disappearing would only look guilty in some shape or form, but it was something she was surprisingly used to doing. The more time she gave herself, however the less her mind fixated itself on the mysterious figure and the more Natsuki and Shizuru returned to her list of priorities.

She grabbed the two swords she threw to the ground earlier, wet and covered in soil and blades of grass. Aoi stood up and took a deep breath, letting the energy return to her body and regaining her composure as if nothing had happened.

Walking in the direction of Reito and Kazuya's voices, they met halfway. An improvisation of a sling was fashioned for Reito's mauled arm and new people from the outer party that fought the hoard were among their group, "Is it as we fear?" Reito asked when he saw neither Natsuki nor Shizuru with Aoi. His face looked grave for once rather than the impenetrable calm he had about his character.

"Perhaps. I can't find them in this area… I think they fell into the gorge." Aoi told them, walking towards the steep cliff face. The drop was great, but the scent trail ended there and that was where she last saw them. She felt in her gut the two women were perfectly fine. Maybe bruised and battered, but not dying. "I'm sure they're still alive. They wouldn't die just yet. Natsuki is tough and Shizuru is an elite with her people after all. Neither should be underestimated." Aoi said with a dose of confidence.

One of the newest members of their group stepped up, "Once we get to the village, we'll send out you and our best that know the area to search for the two. It's not safe to go down currently." He then looked over at Reito, "Right now Reito needs help, he isn't doing too well…"

"Nonsense…" Reito shook his head and then broke out into a fit of coughs. His face was already reddening and hair soaked—in short, he looked a complete and disoriented mess. Kazuya supported him, hands red with contact on Reito's skin, and face holding back a pained expression.

"Fever and infection is setting in, you fool," Kazuya scolded, "You're temperature is so high it's burning my hands." Reito grumbled.

"We shouldn't delay," Aoi motioned for everyone to get moving, "For your sake, Reito, and for Shizuru and Natsuki's we have to hurry."

Kazuya threw Reito over his shoulders despite the protests and complaints. It was almost comical seeing a small person like Kazuya carry a man so much larger than himself, and despite that urgency of his injuries they knew he would be fine with the proper treatment once returning home. The healers, as well as Saeko, would make sure of it. Their only concern were the women trapped out in the wilderness, as well as the hoard that had not retreated, but rather gathered in wait at a distance. They started off in the direction of home, silent and attentive at first.

"Hopefully we'll find them as soon as possible so they won't have to survive through a night in this rain and cold…." Aoi looked over her shoulder and to the darkness beyond the limits her eyes could see past the trees. _Please be alright guys…_

n

Shizuru lunged forward and sliced through the last of the orphans that forced her down the cliff. Searing hot blood covered her forearm and she grimaced and rushed over to the river that cut through the gorge. Dunking her arm in the cold water, Shizuru gritted her teeth and closed her eyes. She concentrated on the rain pelting her body and soaking her clothes as she counted to ten and felt the burning sensation disappear. If it were not for all the fighting and activity her body currently had to go through, the cold wet air would cause her to shiver violently. For all she knew, the adrenaline could be preventing her from feeling her injuries if she had any.

From such a fall, she was surprised she was not at least sprained somewhere on her body. Shizuru pulled her arm out before the cold water could numb and stiffen her arm and took a few quick steps back. The river current had increased dramatically because of the rain, making her cautious not to be dragged into it and whisked away. "Natsuki!" The knight looked about for the wolf, but it was dim—she tried to listen for a sign, but the current and rain drowned out any noise around her.

Walking about, a visible trail of torn cloth and blood, whether Natsuki's or the orphans, appeared. She followed quickly, afraid it would wash away. Several meters up the path she ran alongside the rock wall next to the river. Sounds of combat came within earshot and Shizuru turned the corner to see Natsuki backed to the wall. Two orphans laid dead around the grounds and three more cautiously circled the wolf, closing in. Natsuki was limping, weakly facing off against the orphans and Shizuru ran forward to help once she saw her injuries were even greater.

Two orphans lunged and Natsuki raised her arms to cover her face and throat. Shizuru stepped in between them and, with one motion, sliced through both of the dog-sized creatures. She looked over her shoulder to see Natsuki gone, but the sound of the last orphan yelping followed by the sound of crushed bones told Shizuru that Natsuki had gone in for the last kill. Defeating the last orphan must have taken everything out of the younger woman. When she turned to face Shizuru, her body collapsed and the knight ran forward to catch her.

"There's a cave over there…" Natsuki pointed, her voice low and weak, "Aside from hunters using it sometimes, it's abandoned."

Shizuru nodded and supported her as they walked towards the empty cave, thankful it wasn't occupied by bears or any other creature of the sort. Their pace was slow with Natsuki's limps and she nearly stumbled as they stepped inside and out of the pouring rain. "Sit, sit." Shizuru told her, helping Natsuki lower herself on the ground, back resting flat against the wall. She settled down with somewhat of a sigh and Shizuru had to catch her breath, seeing Natsuki's body drenched to the skin, hair a mess. Seeing someone so strong and closed off in such a state felt otherworldly to Shizuru.

The knight knelt beside her and examined the wolf, noticing Natsuki's left leg gashed from an orphan's claws and impaled by a large stick. Her foot appeared broken as well from its unnatural position. A million thoughts at what could have been done to prevent her friend from being so injured rushed through her mind, but a poke on the forehead from Natsuki pulled her away from it, "Oi," her tone was surprisingly gentle, lacking its usual roughness, "It's not anyone's fault. This could not be helped."

"Ara, can you read my mind?" Shizuru rolled up her sleeves with a bit of effort since the water made the cloth stick to her skin. Natsuki twitched slightly when the work-worn, calloused hands touched her leg, "Kanin na," the brunette looked up, a guilty expression.

Natsuki groan, "Whatever… It's broken, which is a problem,"

"Can't you heal quickly?" Shizuru tilted her head, carefully placing a hand at the base of the stick impaled in Natsuki's calf. Her other hand held the end of it, but Natsuki's eyes were averted and unaware.

"Quick, but not that quick—"

Shizuru quickly snapped the end of the stick and pulled it out the other side, the sickening sound of blood and flesh accompanying it. Natsuki yelped and stiffened, punching the wall behind her with the side of her fist. Shizuru threw her hands up with the stick still in her hand, "Kanin na, Natsuki!"

"Give me a warning next time!" the wolf hollered, taking a deep breath. She looked down at the hole in her leg and grimaced, tilting her head back, "Stop with the 'kanin na' this, 'kanin na' that, it's fine. It didn't hurt!" Natsuki grinned sheepishly through the pain running through her leg.

"Kanin na… Natsuki," Shizuru shot her a glance and realized she said it again. She rubbed the back of her head with a smile, "I just thought no warning would be best instead of anticipating it." Shizuru took her sash and wrung the water out of it, replacing it with the water from her deerskin. Immediately she started cleaning the injured leg.

Sighing, Natsuki shrugged and then grimaced at the sting of the cloth, "As I was saying… we heal fast but not that fast. It will still take a few days, perhaps a week." She explained, voice still shaky, "I cannot transform until it is healed either. Shifting would worsen a broken bone,"

She understood the basic principle behind it, "I see," she nodded. Transforming involved the bones moving and stretching, a painful process they eventually had numbed themselves to from what Natsuki had told Shizuru in the past. Shizuru could only imagine the pain and, perhaps, permanent damage that shifting would do to a broken foot. Finished cleaning the wounds as best she could, Shizuru set the cloth aside and rested a hand on Natsuki's leg. She looked up with a smile, seeing the wolf's face redden, "Ara, it is good your wounds have already clot and stopped the bleeding at the very least. But I cannot cover it. Our clothes are soaked and covering a wound with wet cloth will only increase the risk of infection."

"That is another problem…." Natsuki mumbled, looking outside where the rain remained relentless in its downpour. Shizuru shivered and the wolf looked at her, clearly concerned, "It's only a little warmer inside this cave, but it's cold tonight and it will only get colder."

"With wet clothes we could risk hypothermia, illness, or freeze to death," Shizuru added.

Natsuki placed a hand on the knight's arm with a gentle squeeze, "Especially you. You're more vulnerable." She sighed, seeing Shizuru's face shift from calm and complacent to cautious and guarded—the same expression when she proved herself time and time again she was not weak.

Shizuru could not tell if Natsuki was, again, having little faith in her or just simply being a worried friend. The offense she took earlier to her pride got in the way of seeing that the younger woman was genuinely just concerned about Shizuru getting sick or freezing. Natsuki only currently saw herself as a liability to Shizuru. "I will be fine, Natsuki. You are worse off than I am and I would concentrate on helping you." Shizuru pulled back and distanced herself a bit.

A scoff. "Isn't that the truth?" Natsuki fell silent for a few seconds and Shizuru drifted off into thinking about what they should do next. They were trapped in the cave. The weather was too tumultuous to walk in, Natsuki was in no condition to walk anyway, and orphans were lurking in the darkness, surely. Natsuki shifted and Shizuru looked up to see… was that a blush? Indeed, the darkest of blushes Shizuru had ever had the liberty of seeing, "Listen… this won't be the time to act modest so hear me out, got it?"

Shizuru nodded.

"I need you to dig a hole big enough for us, at least two feet deep."

"Ara, are we digging a grave?" Shizuru had to make the joke.

Natsuki smirked, but forced it to disappear. It was a dark joke, but she found it funny, "No, but it will keep our body heat in better. We're going to have to take our clothes off as well to keep each other warm…" She lifted her arm heavy with the weight of wet cloth, "These really won't be good to keep on and they will take a while to dry."

"That makes sense. We need to do what is necessary to survive tonight, I'll have to agree to this." Shizuru said and got up, "I'll get to work, just relax, Natsuki," She left her waterskin there for the wolf's use. They would have to make it last for the night and get more from the river once the current calmed. Food was another matter entirely, but she figured they would be fine for quite a while without nourishment. As Shizuru stepped deeper into the cave to escape the air outside, she searched for soft ground, as well as objects to dig with. However finding nothing in sight to dig with, she knelt down on one knee and began the grimy task of digging their hole for the night, alternating between using her hands and her naginata. Luckily the ground was purely soil and mostly dry. The rise at the entrance kept most of the water from leaking in, but the wind still blew the rain in their direction, as if to mock them.

Occasionally, Shizuru looked over her shoulder to check on Natsuki, who appeared to be in a daze. She had to wonder if the girl hit her head from the look in her eyes—she would have to check soon. Natsuki on the other hand wanted to help her friend desperately instead of just sitting there completely useless. She could not believe at first that the knight so readily agreed to such an embarrassing survival method. Then again, she felt it necessary and also necessary to suck it up for the night. Her own body's higher average temperature would keep Shizuru safe from the elements and to be able to help in that way was satisfying enough.

"Are you sure you don't need any help…?" Natsuki asked after a few minutes of digging. She asked for perhaps the fourth or fifth time.

"Natsuki needs to rest. It's okay." Shizuru looked over her shoulder and smiled.

The wolf averted her gaze, "Okay… if you say so." She looked up and said rather quietly, "Thank you. Thank you so much, Shizuru."

It surprised the knight, being thanked by the rough and tumble girl, and it brought a warmth to her chest and an overwhelming sense of happiness. Shizuru, once again, looked over with a bright smile, "You're welcome, Natsuki."

After a few more minutes, the small hole was prepared and ready for them to rest within for the night. Natsuki wished by then their clothes had dried, but they were still soaked to the skin. She should have moved further from the cave entrance and away from the rain entering inside. She wanted to avoid having to strip down. _Damn the rain_ , she cursed in her mind. Shizuru helped her up and over to the hole where they sat and undressed, backs turned to one another.

Natsuki did not know why she was getting so bashful. They bathed at the falls together with Aoi several times before. They were friends. They were both female! She was not as comfortable with nudity as other wolves, but she never previously had such problems being around women quite as much as the knight. Shizuru just felt so different. Her face reddened when she accidentally looked over and Shizuru, without hesitation, shrugged her shoulders and began to wriggle herself out of her clothes. She was beautiful, surprisingly possessing a powerful looking body behind the composed and soft face. Shizuru herself could not help but spare a side glance Natsuki's way when she was not looking, seeing the figure she had seen countless times, but never got used to seeing. She never wanted to get used to it. _So beautiful_ , she thought.

Once wringing the water out of their clothes and placing them on the ground, they both laid down next to one another, listening to the rain pour outside, avoiding eye contact, and having the same, simultaneous thought, _What is wrong with me?_


	9. Poison

**Chapter 9**

* * *

In the silence with faces lightly flushed pink, they could not help but try to avoid eye contact. Natsuki was in a better spot while Shizuru's face was just inches away from being able to nestle into Natsuki's shoulder. Her breath tickled the skin there and Natsuki blushed a darker shade and continued to keep quiet. She stared ahead at the wall of dirt from their little hole and let out a quiet breath. Shizuru, being as close as she was, had nowhere to look but towards Natsuki's shoulder. Or lower.

She pushed back the slight urge to let her eyes fall a bit lower from Natsuki's shoulder, quickly chastising herself in her mind. Shizuru forced her eyes to fixate themselves to where the strands of drying blue hair rested in a clumpy mess around the wolf's neck.

Still… she really was warm, like resting next to a fireplace in the middle of a cold winter day. Comfortable. Secure. Shizuru wanted to get closer, but following her better judgement she stayed frozen in place. It was best to avoid freaking out the girl who seemed immensely fidgety and embarrassed already. _Still, seeing Natsuki like this is rather cute._ The way Natsuki's eyes had soften, her canine softly biting down on her lip.

But was it really that normal for her to be this warm? She never noticed her temperature before. Not once. It was almost as though Natsuki had somewhat of a low fever. Shizuru shifted her body upwards so that their faces met and rested the back of her hand on the wolf's forehead.

For a moment Shizuru wasn't concentrating on Natsuki's temperature, but her gradually reddening face, her eyes—just her. Shizuru outwardly looked as though she was spacing out. Internally she was panicking, _What am I doing? Oh gods she's just beautiful, what is wrong with me?_

Shizuru in all honesty knew there was absolutely nothing wrong with her. It was not an issue of sexuality. She knew of her attraction to females since her early teen years. She was old enough, experienced enough, and had the sense enough to know when she found herself fancying another woman. Being a knight, one that travelled often no less, her romances were often fickle—coming and going like the phases of the moon.

 _This isn't—can't be right… Anyone else would have been fine. I think I may actually like this girl…._ Shizuru, knowing herself, could only wonder if it was just that—a fickle fancy—or an actual crush. And one that may last. She could not tell just yet, but Shizuru did indeed feel her general fascination of the girl and her kind was evolving to more than just that. And while she still had an interest in her people, Natsuki had shifted to the center of the knight's attention.

Natsuki put a hand over Shizuru's, snapping her out of her internal ramblings, "I'm not sick, Shizuru," She gently lowered the knight's hand from her forehead. She placed it resting on the space between them.

"When can I tell then?" Shizuru asked, looking down at her hand.

"We don't get sick often. Your hand would have been red and burning. Painfully." Natsuki said simply. Shizuru remained silent, thinking it made sense. The wolves' bodies seemed to be several degrees warmer. A temperature higher than that felt extremely difficult to deal with no matter what creature you were. Natsuki hesitated for a moment, "It is a good thing you worry at least. It is indeed something to be very concerned about."

A pit formed in Shizuru's stomach and she had to ask, "Ara, what do you mean, Natsuki?"

"Orphan blood is dangerous to us if a good amount gets in contact with our blood. Getting it on our skin is fine, you know it just burns. Ingesting it is fine, too, but it makes us nauseous…" Natsuki's expression contorted for a moment in disgust. Shizuru could imagine it was safe since the shifters used their claws and teeth—their fur opposed to skin protected them from the burning effects of the blood. But the sudden notice of the orphans' toxicity to the shifters was alarming. "I don't know it as well as the healers may, but it destroys us from the inside. Fever is the first sign," Natsuki explained. Her face was grave, giving Shizuru the implication that she was in danger of getting the fever at any point in the future—or even now.

The possibility terrified her. Through her studies at the castle over the years and Natsuki's description, Shizuru felt the blood of orphans acted as a sort of hemotoxin to the shape shifters, destroying their blood and tissue. For humans it simply burned and the knight knew blood-to-blood contact had no adverse effects other than just that—burning. Shizuru raised herself on her elbows at the possible danger to Natsuki's own life, "What else?"

Averting her gaze, Natsuki continued, "Then delusions, seizures… rabidity, then death." She finished her sentence in a whisper, "We're natural enemies. And this is what they've adapted to fight us."

"Is there no way to fight it once the fever develops?"

"Some can sweat out the fever depending on the amount of… poison." Natsuki answered, "But if it's too strong or went on too long a healer is the only chance one has. It's too late once you become rabid."

"What happens then?"

"If they don't die soon afterwards, the Guides take matters in their hands," the wolf was visibly uncomfortable, but more dissatisfied at the horror slowly growing on Shizuru's countenance. Already too far into the subject, she had to continue and finish up, "They execute them…"

The responsibility the Guides had to the lives of their pack members, their family and friends, was too great. To even be responsible for the decision of their own end when they had no choice—Shizuru could not do it. In Saeko and Gouu's long lifespan they may have had to take the life of a person who had fallen to fever several times. The very idea of Natsuki's own parents taking the life of their child, should she fall to such a condition, was not something the knight could stomach. Not a responsibility she wanted with her own soldiers. "That is… terrible…." was all she could utter.

"It is a terrible responsibility, but I think it's a necessary one." Natsuki shifted slightly, feeling her arm fall asleep, "I feel completely fine right now. But I won't let a fever kill me now or ever. I would fight it until I conquer it." Her voice was confident rather than weak. It assured the knight immensely despite the severity of the poison. No matter what would happen in the next few hours, days, months, or years, Natsuki's vitality wouldn't fail her.

Shizuru was beginning to feel exhausted from the day, but managed to crack a small smile, "Good. Natsuki isn't allowed to die for another few hundred years."

A chuckle. The small sparkle that glinted in the emerald eyes that looked up at her made the knight's chest hammer a little harder, "Same goes to you, Shizuru."

"Ara, I'll certainly try my best in the hundred years _I_ have."

Indeed it was a slightly depressing thought to Natsuki that humans lived significantly shorter lives than her own kind. However she just accepted it as just the way the gods had it made. She wanted to stray from the depressing topic of poison, fever, and death. The little laughter and smiles earlier helped draw her mind from her wounds, but the wolf couldn't find any words to continue. They stayed silent for some time, both in their own thoughts.

Suddenly, Natsuki began, "Shizuru?"

"Yes, Natsuki?"

"Thank you for saving me." Natsuki's eyes met her again this time, soft and sincere, "Not once but twice."

"You do not need to thank me, Natsuki." Shizuru told her. She then thought back to the incident between them earlier when the attack just started. By this time the matter hardly bothered her, given the more important problems at hand. Still, she had to ask, "Does Natsuki really think I'm that weak?"

Natsuki sighed, knowing this would come up eventually. She shook her head, "Of course not. I didn't mean to make it sound that way, I—"she paused, "I'm sorry, Shizuru." It took obvious effort for her to apologize, but Shizuru could tell she meant it. Natsuki said once again, "I'm sorry. You are not weak and you do not need to prove yourself. You have done much of it today…. I just didn't want you getting hurt on my watch. Now I'm the one hurt and the reason we're stuck here…."

 _So Natsuki was concerned for me, that's why._ Shizuru instantly felt peace return to her. The wolf flinched slightly when Shizuru poked her on the forehead. She seemed afraid for just a moment, but still looked up at Shizuru with somewhat of a curious gaze. Shizuru just showed a smile at the face and the fact she had her full attention. All of it. "Don't worry about it, Natsuki. It's okay and we will be okay."

Natsuki returned a small smile now that she knew Shizuru didn't hold a grudge over the earlier dispute. "Okay then." Natsuki gave a slight nod to accompany her smile, "So I know this area… and how to get out. We can leave by morning if we aren't found by then…"

She already had a map formed in her mind and all the possible routes in case of any obstructions. Natsuki trailed off at the sound of Shizuru hushing her before she continued on, "It sounds like a good plan. Just be quiet and rest for now, Natsuki." Shizuru whispered, her honey-coated voice soothing the girl. "Close your eyes and rest."

 _Her voice is like a spell… I feel so relaxed_ , Natsuki was beginning to feel the weight of fatigue brought about by the day and her injuries. It was getting hard to stay awake and Shizuru's voice brought warmth to her chest and security to her consciousness. She could drop her guard. She could rest. Natuski found herself wondering why she was feeling so willing to submit to the knight's request. Since entering the cave she had been more docile than normal, so much more attentive to Shizuru's words and actions than normal. Through fluttering eyelids, Natsuki told her, "You get some rest, too."

"I will, Natsuki."

Just like that, Natsuki's eyes closed and she immediately drifted off to sleep. Although she assured her she would rest, Shizuru's body refused to. The girl's tranquil sleeping face was enough to bring peace to the knight, but not enough to soothe an instinct. A very primitive one. It told her to stay awake, listen to the sounds outside, and protect the slumbering girl next to her. A slight breeze entered the cave and brushed over the hole they laid in. Shizuru shivered and inched just a little closer to the warmth of the girl beside her.

* * *

"Be careful over there, that area is slippery!" Aoi shouted from across the ridge descending down into the small gorge. She controlled her feet's movement and the position of her upper body as she slid down the rock face. Her feet were half-shifted to those of her beast form for its paw pads and claws' better traction. She stopped at one flat area to spot the next person coming down the ridge after her, "We don't need any more injured as it is." She said more to herself than the rest of the search party. Returning to the village earlier, there were numerous casualties—more injured than dead—and the possibility of Natsuki and Shizuru being among them ate at her insides. Reito was not in good condition when they returned, but Aoi took peace in knowing he was currently in the treatment of a healer.

The moon hung in the sky still full and high, lighting the way through the darkness and illuminating places that would otherwise be missed. Once gathered, Aoi and the other leaders began the descent deeper into the gorge, carefully, carefully until they reached flat ground. The rain had dissipated, leaving nothing but a humid air weighing down on their lungs and sticking to their skin.

The group split among the area and began their search. Some more focused on the search itself, some on the surroundings and guarding the party. No one present could see or sense the presence of orphans in the vicinity—hardly surprising since the main horde retreated so suddenly. They took no chances and kept silent, only occasionally shouting Shizuru and Natsuki's names.

The party worked their way along the river and approached the area of the cave. Aoi felt an instinctive tug at her mind. She had a feeling they were close. She _knew_ it. Peering upwards at the top of the small gorge she could deduce their location to where they previously fought, and where the pair fell down. There were no obvious signs Aoi could see other than their location. Any blood and scent were washed away hours ago.

Looking about, her attention was drawn to a young man who entered the hunting cave and searched inside. She felt hopeful as he entered, but immediately frowned as he came out just a few moments later shaking his head.

"Let me look," Aoi sent him away and entered the cave. Light barely penetrated inside, but her vision was keen enough to grant her sight through the darkness.

She felt her friends much closer than before and pressed forward, cautious in case of any unforeseen danger—which, at this point, she should have felt. Finally, taking one last step, the young brunette spotted Shizuru's head poking out of a small hole. The knight had succumbed to fatigue momentarily and fell asleep for a few seconds. In that moment she took no notice of the first man who entered the cave and missed their well camouflaged hole. Aoi's face lit up and she ran forward, dropping to her knees at the edge, "Shizuru! Natsuki!" Very groggily, Shizuru sat up, covering her torso with her arms at the touch of the chilly air. She scarcely had time to react when Aoi threw her arms around her in a tight hug. Pulling back with her hands on either side of Shizuru's arms, Aoi shouted over her shoulder, "Bring over some dry clothes! I found them!"


	10. One Of Us

**Chapter 10**

* * *

A relieved sigh escaped the members of the search party entering the cave. Their uncensored, loud footsteps woke up Shizuru as they approached and she sluggishly propped herself up on one elbow. She winced slightly, feeling her muscles and bones ache all over, "Ara, Aoi, I was wondering when you would come." She managed to crack a small smile through the veil of sleep and fatigue. She sure felt glad their visitors in the cave weren't hostile or else she wouldn't have had the energy to fight back.

"Of course I would come. I couldn't just leave you," Aoi grinned, turned over her shoulder, and shouted, "I found them! Bring over some dry clothes! Are you two alright?" She returned her attention to Shizuru, bending over to check her for any injuries. A female party member rushed in with a bag of clean, dry clothes in which they handed to Shizuru.

"We're okay, but Natsuki… She's hurt." Shizuru did not mind the worried prodding from Aoi. She clutched the bundle of clothes close and looked down at Natsuki's mangled leg. Aoi's eyes followed its direction to observe her best friend's wounds, wondering if there was anything she could do to treat those wounds that Shizuru has not done yet. There wasn't. The knight placed a hand on Natsuki's shoulder—she felt warmer than the previous hour—and gently shook, "Natsuki? Natsuki wake up."

Grumbling at the first shake, it took a few more tries to awaken the girl. With a deeper grumble, Natsuki lifted her upper body with her elbows. She looked up at the two, eyes cloudy. Aoi felt a pit form in her stomach. Something was wrong at this point, "Aoi..!" Natsuki grinned weakly at the familiar sight of her friend. Her voice was rough and breathes nearly labored. The short moments of silence was filled in the soft sounds of Natsuki's chest rising and falling with strenuous effort. Shizuru, too, felt the sudden urgency Aoi had felt when she saw the symptoms.

They allowed no time for Natsuki to talk again. Aoi swiftly stepped in the two foot hole and took a set of clothes from Shizuru. The rough, borderline vicious, action caught Shizuru off guard and she instantly backed away from the wolves to give them space, "Get dressed Shizuru, we need to get her home quickly." Shizuru immediately pulled on the tunic and trousers, already feeling the clothes trap in some heat, "You know right?" Aoi glance at her and grumbled uncharacteristically.

"Know what…?" Natsuki mumbled, oblivious of her situation. Delirious.

Shizuru nodded, concerned at the obvious and rapid development of fever and infection Natsuki warned her about earlier, "It's what I feared…" She somehow felt responsible for it, being unable to treat it better earlier. She could have left the cave, found dry sticks to start a fire, and dry up their clothes and rags to clean Natsuki's wound. She could have tried something to help Natsuki more. Aoi sensed the knight's internal blame game and shook her head.

"You did your best with what you could use. Don't blame yourself for her condition." She then picked up a clothed and protesting Natsuki in her arms with great ease and left the cave. Struggling with one last tug at a leather boot, Shizuru grabbed her naginata and quickly followed after her, "Move out!" Aoi barked, voice riding closely to something inhuman.

A gigantic gray wolf bounded closer to Aoi, standing well over two feet of her height. He nodded in a silent exchange and she handed Natsuki over to him. Immediately after making sure he had a secure hold of her in his large arms, he took off ahead of them and into the direction of the village. Half of the party escorted him.

Shizuru couldn't take her eyes off the departing group, off Natsuki, until they merged into the shadows. As soon as she looked back at Aoi, the brunette was already shifted as well, pelt shining brilliantly in the moonlight. Aoi's concern and drive to protect someone akin to her family, however, drove her most primal instincts to the surface. She appeared wild and dangerous, but as she took the naginata from Shizuru's hands and picked up Shizuru, the movement was gentle and controlled. The knight braced herself for the disorienting speed they'd move, powerful legs pounding the earth beneath them, "Natsuki and Reito both are just a few of the people with fever…" Shizuru heard her friend mumble, "I hope Saeko and the others can save them all."

Aoi's speed left the rest of the party far behind her. Shizuru was not at all surprised when they caught up to the wolf carrying Natsuki back to the village. They were only a few miles out from the rim where Shizuru spotted sentries patrolling on all fours around the trees. Security was high and she needed no special powers to sense the tension around the village that instantly made her hackles raise. The knight hungered to jump out of Aoi's protective grip and go help.

Once side by side, they could hear the wolf murmuring to Natsuki, attempting to keep her awake. Shizuru could hardly see Natsuki's face from her angle and shouted over the ripple of wind past her ears, "How is Natsuki?"

"She's getting worse." He responded simply. Shizuru's heart sank, "Reito and the others however are stable after the Guide's treatment, and the same should go for her."

They neared the village and Aoi released Shizuru. Torchlights kept the paths illuminated. Looking around, the place was not nearly as crowded now. Hide tents by the large tree Gouu and Saeko lived in housed men and women in peculiar garbs healing the injured. Children and those not defending the village were far from the direction of the hoard, protected.

Shizuru approached the gray wolf holding Natsuki and relieved him so that he could join the guard post, taking Natsuki into her own arms. The girl was mumbling incoherently and Shizuru ignored the burning at her hands as well as her shoulder where Natsuki's head lay. Aoi didn't have to tell her that finding Saeko was the first priority. The knight thought of the first place to look and rushed over towards the large tree.

She dodged the warriors and hunters running back and forth from their posts and the tents, finally spotting Gouu at the tree's base. It felt as though he anticipated their arrival ever since he received word that both Natsuki and Shizuru were missing. But when he saw his daughter in Shizuru's arms his eyes widened. Shizuru squinted when he turned and opened… a door? At the base of the tree, the door opened into a hollowed portion of the tree and Gouu rushed her inside. Handcrafted lamps illuminated the inside to show padded bedding and an assortment of herbs and parchment paper that contained complex writings on the walls. Even Natsuki, hazy through her fever, looked up and about saying, "I forgot these types of trees are hollow inside… It's so cool…"

Gouu, without any warning, took Natsuki from the knight's arms and set her onto the padding. It was perhaps a parent's worst nightmare seeing their child in such a state, perhaps dying, "Come on pup, stay awake," He said lowly to her, resting a hand on her forehead. Very abruptly, he stood up and rushed past Shizuru, "Hold on, I'll get you mother!" In that moment Shizuru met eyes with him and, for the first time, she could understand their silent exchange—the understanding through the wolves' locked eyes she always observed. It was always something that made her doubt whether it was some silent language or a telepathic connection. Now she knew it was just purely feelings conveyed from one trusted person to the other, received, and understood from countless, countless interactions that bounded them. He nodded towards her with eyes that begged her, saying 'Please take care of my daughter' and Shizuru nodded back to say 'I will.'

The door slammed behind the knight and she set her naginata against the wall before kneeling beside Natsuki who sweated more than on a hot summer's day. A wash basin was only a few paces away, filled with fresh water. Shizuru reached over, knocking over a few small items in the process to grab the basin and wash cloths, "It's not much, but I'm going to try…" Shizuru said more to herself, wetting the cloth and tapping along Natsuki's exposed skin.

A small, weak chuckle. Natsuki looked up in one of her lucid moments, "Hey… you're trying at least." Her breaths were uneven, "It's not going to break the fever but it helps…"

Shizuru, despite the stress that made her blood pulse wildly, shot her a smile, which calmed Natsuki more than she knew, "I'm glad it does something." She left shortly to grab a few items, drawing a distressed, dog-like whine from the younger woman. Natsuki could not bear being away from another person right now. Very quickly, Shizuru grabbed what she needed—bandages, two flat pieces of wood, and ointment—and returned to Natsuki's side, "I'm here, Natsuki, don't worry. I'm just going to clean your wounds okay?"

"Okay…" Natsuki nodded and laid still. Shizuru took her mangled left leg and raised it just high enough to elevate it over a soft bedroll. This time, she made sure to cleanse Natsuki's wounds and make sure any trace of impurities was gone, using the ointment for infection. Eventually, she wrapped Natsuki's foot and leg and used the two flat pieces of wood to splint it. That way, she could at least prevent Natsuki from moving her foot.

As the knight secured the splints down, Saeko had rushed through the door, fumbling through a bag, "Natsuki!" the younger wolf seemed to smile weakly at her mother's sudden presence by her side, running her hand across her forehead. Saeko began murmuring something too low for Shizuru to understand, seeming to drone on in those whispers as she began to get to work, "Shizuru, keep her temperature down."

She wasted no time and grabbed the basin and cloth, setting herself at the other side of Natsuki. Saeko untied a small bundle from the bag at her shoulder, unfolding the covers to take out medicine that she proceeded to feed to Natsuki for the pain and fever. Natsuki willingly took the medicine, holding her mother's hands that held the cup of water that helped her swallow the mixture of herbs and ingredients. She swallowed perhaps a bit too fast and hacked and coughed a bit, "Not too fast, darling." Saeko whispered, allowing Natsuki to get situated before giving her a little more water.

After lowering the cup from her lips, Saeko ran the back of her hand across Natsuki's forehead, feeling the quelling heat, "How are you feeling?"

"A little better…" Natsuki managed to breath.

Saeko simply gave a smile and turned to Shizuru, "Thank you, for all your help, Shizuru. We truly owe you," She reached across and rested a hand on Shizuru's, the gesture catching the knight off guard, "I will take care of Natsuki. She's already starting to recover. Can you go outside and help the guard? We're not sure if the hoard has passed yet."

"Of course."

Natsuki caught Shizuru's hand as the knight rose from her spot. Shizuru looked down and her eyebrows rose, giving Natsuki her full attention, "Be careful, Shizuru…" Her face was flushed from fever, perhaps a little more, and her eyes were coated in worry. She knew Shizuru was capable of fending for herself. And there would be plenty of other men and women beside her to fight if the hoard returned. Still, she couldn't help it.

"Ara, I'll be extra careful. You just get better, Natsuki." Shizuru smiled back and gave Natsuki's hand a gentle squeeze before placing down the rag.

"I will," the younger woman nodded.

At the door, Shizuru picked up her weapon and spared a glance at the mother and daughter before leaving. Shizuru did not know what to expect when she stepped foot outside. The feeling when they stepped into the village earlier seemed to shift in the few minutes Shizuru was inside helping Saeko. The heavy air seemed to weigh down on her shoulders instantly—everything was silent. She looked to the right to see the healers still tending to the injured, either burned by blood or mauled by orphans. They worked as silently as they could, almost in fear of being heard by what lurked in the nearby woods. The other side, under the cover of moonlight, was bodies of warriors and hunters laid to rest, eyes closed, and hands folded over their stomachs with their weapons still in hand.

She felt a lump form in her throat when she saw them. No one was around to grieve them right now. For all she knew, they did not have anyone in their final moments but the healers and the other injured still fighting to live. Friends and family were probably tucked away in a safe shelter, unaware yet if their loved ones fighting to protect their home were still alive. Shizuru didn't recognize any of the faces and was suddenly grateful Natsuki was not among them.

Taking a deep breath, Shizuru continued forward to Kazuya and Aoi gathered by a standing torch. They turned around with the shadows of the fire flickering across their skins, "Shizuru!" Aoi ran up to her, "How is she?"

"Much better," Shizuru gave her a reassuring smile, "Natsuki is with her mother right now."

A relieved sigh escaped Aoi and she smiled herself, "That's good to hear…"

"Can you tell me what's happening?" Shizuru leaned against her naginata, a little weary, but otherwise fine. She just couldn't wait until all of it was over.

"The last I was told, the hoard hasn't passed. There are many people dealing with them from the front."

"They're also asking for help from my own people nearby," Kazuya added, "Us felines don't have the numbers that wolves do, but we have the strength to help."

"Ara, and what do _we_ do?"

"Sit and wait," Aoi sighed, sitting down near the circle of other warriors resting around the torch with their weapons in their laps, "We are the last to defend home if the men and women in the front fail."

Seeing Kazuya also settle down in the grass, cross-legged, Shizuru followed suit, "I don't like to wait."

Aoi chuckled and leaned back on her hands, "Take the time to rest, Shizuru. You deserve it after today. I am sure they have it controlled up there."

They sat there and the time passed painfully slow. Only a few hours until dawn. Shizuru would get up several times to check on Natsuki and Saeko. The last time she checked, Natsuki was fast asleep, already recovering quickly under her mother's watchful eye. Saeko looked utterly exhausted from the sessions of healing and leaned her back against the bed, often switching with Gouu so she could check on the other healers. Like everyone else, she fought the urge to fall asleep. Some warriors relieved each other to rest, but she and Gouu, as Guides, had to stay awake until the storm had passed—to tend to any emergencies, and deal with the aftermath of the attack.

With Natsuki asleep, Shizuru decided to leave the family be until the danger had passed. So far, there was no news from the front telling them the situation has changed. She didn't know whether to take it as good news, but considering the fighters were holding out she figured it was. Eventually the waiting broke down the walls of her soldier discipline and Shizuru began giving into the entire day's fatigue. Aoi noticed and told her she would wake her up if anything changed.

Everyone around her seemed to understand, knowing well that Shizuru and Natsuki had been through enough. The fact her body seemed to keep moving surprised them. Having permission to rest and making no objections, Shizuru hugged her naginata close and leaned against it as she hung her head down and closed her eyes.

Although, not the most comfortable position to sleep, she learned as a trainee that anything could be a pillow if you were tired enough. She felt herself drift off, but her body remained aware of what was around her. Conversations between Aoi, Kazuya, and the other warriors passed through her like a dream—talk about her, gossip about the cats fighting on the frontlines, why there had been such massive attacks lately.

"You know, Kazuya, what are your people like?" Aoi queried, "We never see your people around."

A laugh. "You're right we do seem to keep to ourselves," the young man rubbed the back of his head with a cheery grin, "It's a very carefree clan, but we wouldn't dare challenge the ruling family. They have been in power for hundreds of years now."

The brunette gave a thoughtful hum, "Everyone is under one power? Sounds strict."

"It's true we don't live like a family with people chosen for guidance like the wolves. Cats are solitary but our clan is different types of felines that came together generations ago to unite into a stronger community. Instead of fending for ourselves and dying off."

"Do you know if your leaders are up there fighting? Right now?"

"Unlikely. At least for the two heads of the family. I am sure they're at our village defending it from attacks as well," Kazuya shook his head, "Although I imagine they have sent their children. Strong, those two are."

"Hm… I think I know who you're talking about," Aoi leaned forward, elbows on her knees, "I feel like Natsuki has made mention of one of them before…"

A howl sounded in the distance, "Shizuru wake up!" Aoi jumped and reached over to shake her. The sounds echoing in the distance made the warriors perk up and Shizuru jolted awake.

"Ara, what is it?" Shizuru almost forgot where she was and rubbed her eyes.

"Sounds like something has changed!"

They gathered to the feet, listening and watching as a hunter broke through the treeline with a blood-covered weapon. With a fist raised in the air and wide grin, he shouted, "The hoard pulled back! We won!" Shizuru could not believe her ears. It was over. The men and women on the frontlines did well and they didn't even have to lift a finger. All the others stationed around the village began to gather closer, their faces brightening, "It's over, our warriors and hunters are coming home!"

Cheers filled the once quiet home of the wolves. Through the whooping and hollering, Saeko and Gouu began to emerge, supporting a conscious Natsuki between them. Everyone seemed to calm down at once and stopped, listening intently, "Bring out everyone so we may begin to mourn the fallen when the others return," Gouu spoke with a somber tone, looking across every face he has known through the years. Some of the faces in the crowd were missing; either out on the frontlines or resting eternally with the rest, "You've all done well in this crisis, but don't forget we still have much to do."

Their faces became serious and they each nodded and dispersed. Leaders gathered with Gouu to ask what needed to be done in particular. Saeko left to return to the healers and help with the warriors still clinging onto life. This left Natsuki, leaning on a staff as a crutch, as she approached Shizuru. She seemed to smile the brightest Shizuru had seen all day, "Natsuki looks much better," Shizuru tilted her head, hooking her arm under Natsuki's as a support, "But should you really be out of bed?"

"Nonsense, I wanted to see you," Natsuki chuckled as they slowly walked back to the tree base. She obviously struggled to move with the makeshift cast and winced. Shizuru caught her as she leaned forward and their faces met for a moment. Natsuki found it hard to, but she managed to look away and rubbed the back of her head, "You did well, Shizuru. You are one of us now, you know?"

Blinking several times, a bit disappointed Natsuki's face had left hers, Shizuru suddenly relaxed and smiled, "I'm glad." Her grip around Natsuki's waist tightened slightly and Natsuki's arm around her shoulder seemed to do the same as they smiled and headed inside.

* * *

 **A/N:** It's been such a long time, eh? I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I do REALLY appreciate the readers who have been so patient. And I also appreciate the newest followers who have especially reminded and encouraged me to take some time off a busy schedule to keep Wolf's Heart going! Until next time :)


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